Finding my Wings
by The-Angel-With-Broken-Wings
Summary: A princess's world is thrown into turmoil, and her advisor pays the 'terrorist' group AVALANCHE to shelter her while he takes care of it. Soon after, Sephiroth returns and she is thrown into the struggle to save the planet. CloudxOC *updated!*
1. Prologue

It's my first story, so please be nice? This story will be eventual CloudxOC. I will do my best to not make it a Mary-Sue and to not make the characters overly OOC. Please read and review!

**This chapter has been rewritten!**

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The bright lights of Midgar flashed by the car window quickly, giving one of the passengers a strong feeling of dizziness. She quickly rested her head on the back of the seat, and then continued to look out the window. The man sitting next to her sighed.

"Why do you keep looking out the window if it makes you feel sick?" he said, a little confused.

Without moving her head to look at him, she said, "I've never been to Midgar, you know that."

They continued to ride in the car in silence. She stared in awe as she glanced upward at the top plate.

"Joel, you haven't been to Midgar either, right?" she asked softly.

She finally tore herself away from the window and looked at the man sitting next to her. He had dark hair that stuck up in odd places. His skin was light, and he had a strong face. She would have thought he was very handsome, if she didn't already dislike him greatly.

"Of course not, you know I'm busy babysitting _you_," his said with a cold tone.

She felt the bit of anger that seemed to appear instantly every time he talked. She clenched her fists on her lap, but didn't do anything else.

_Killing him here would be a mistake_, she thought with disgust.

She took a few moments to look around the car. The seats were new and made of leather. The entire car was decorated in blacks and grays. The floor had dark gray inner carpeting and was faultlessly clean. It bothered her. She turned her took a long look at Joel, and thought of his last words.

"You didn't have to send me here, you know. I could have stayed in Arainiel. This is the worst plan you have ever thought of," she growled, her short temper coming to an end.

"Maybe you're the idiot. Arainiel is in turmoil, fiends and monsters are everywhere, but you want to stay and die like the rest of us. It would be wonderful if you thought these things through, Princess," he answered with a certain amount of bitterness.

She clenched her fists tighter, and they began to shake with her anger. "It's better than running away, Joel."

He ignored her and continued to stare out of his own window with in boredom. She sat forward and spoke politely to the driver of the car, "Excuse me, are we close?"

The driver smiled into the rear-view mirror and said, "Almost there, miss. We should be in the sector seven in just a few more minutes."

She sat back in her chair, and leaned against the door. Her stomach was beginning to give her an uneasy feeling. This was truly a bad idea.

"Well, who exactly are these people?"she directed to her advisor.

Joel laughed in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.

"The only people who would put up with you were a terrorist group called AVALANCHE."

She stared at him with wide eyes. "You aren't serious. You mean the ones that have been trying to destroy Shinra and blowing up Mako reactors. Are you an idiot?" she ended up screaming at him. He laughed at her.

"Can you think of a better place to hide you from the monsters? Would anyone look for a Princess in the slums of a big city like Midgar? Besides, for an ludicrous amount of money, they said they would shelter you."

She reached her boiling point and slapped him across the face, leaving his cheek a bright red color. "I want you to take me home right now, or so help me I'll-" she began, but Joel's laugh cut her off before she could finish.

"What? You're going to kill me?" He laughed deeply then continued, "I would pay AVALANCHE double to see you do anything worse to me. I dare you."

"Y-You!" She shook with anger, tackled him in the back seat, and promptly began strangling him, losing control of her anger.

"Excuse me?" The driver said softly. "We've arrived in Sector 7 slums, at Tifa's seventh Heaven."

She spared his life and stepped out of the car as the kindly driver opened the door. She took a long look around, taking in the scenery of this new place. In all corners there were suspicious-looking people, and shabby homes. The bar in front of her was no different. It was an aged wooden building, covered in dust and debris. In large letters, the sign read, Tifa's Seventh Heaven.

"Make sure you enjoy your stay," Joel said from the window as his lips curved into a smile that made her uneasy. "I'll miss you terribly, Princess."

She stuck her tongue out at him and turned her back to him.

"Thank you very much for the ride," she said, bowing to the driver politely.

He smiled at her again and said, "No trouble at all. Just be careful around here. Midgar is much more rowdy than Arainiel. I wish you the best of luck, Princess."

He re-entered the car, and drove off with her advisor, Joel. She felt a few drops onto her head, and it began to rain softly. She walked up the wooden stairs and pressed her hand to the door. As the uneasiness in her stomach increased, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

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Yay for the first chapter! Yeah, I'm not revealing much. She will meet the original members of AVALANCHE in the next chapter! Please read and review!


	2. It Can't Be!

I send out many thank-yous to my reviewers! I am very happy that you took the time to let me know what you thought of my story. I'll make this chapter longer than the other one! I'm sorry about all the long descriptions!

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As she put her hand on the smooth wood of the door, she felt eyes watching her. Taking a look over her shoulder she saw many of the shady-looking people whom she saw earlier eying her with interest. Feeling anxious, she pushed the door open and walked inside. The bar was empty, except for a small girl who was looking at her shyly and a woman who was washing a glass. She looked up and smiled.

"Welcome to Tifa's Seventh Heaven! Can I get you something?"

Tifa looked at the girl who had just entered her bar a little strangely. The girl did not seem older than nineteen. She had brown hair and eyes and fair skin. She had her hair put up and it was of different lengths, making it stick up in many directions on top, and coming down in soft waves as it lengthened. Around her neck were a black choker and a silver chain. Hanging from the chain was something that looked like a heart with wings.

Continuing her inspection, she noticed the girl was wearing a shirt with strings coming off the shoulder. Around her middle was a white cloth held onto her with three black belts. She also noticed what looked like short-shorts under a 'flap' that look like part of a skirt. There were small tears around the edges. At the far right, from Tifa's point of view, there were two perfectly round holes, and one semi circle at the bottom on the 'flap'. The holes had one X over each.

The girl squirmed, feeling uncomfortable under Tifa's watch.

"Please, come sit down at the bar," Tifa said kindly. As she walked, there was a black 'cloak' hanging from her waist. It seemed as though she put it through a shredder and pulled out halfway through. Tifa watched the girl walk, and saw that she wore flat boots that opened wide at the ankle. They, too, were also belted.

Although her clothing could be considered 'scary' with all the belts, she could not have looked more nervous as she sat in front of Tifa.

"What's your name?"

The girl fidgeted in her seat. "My name is Raye," she said in a low tone. "I'm here…I'm here to see AVALANCHE?"

"Oh, you must be that princess," she said in realization. "My name is Tifa, and I own this bar. The other members haven't come back yet."

"Come back from what?" Raye asked.

Tifa walked to the other end of the bar, put the glass away, and returned to her.

"They went on a mission to blow up the North Mako Reactor. They're running a little late, I hope everything went alright."

Raye sat there, her mouth hanging open slightly in utter speechlessness. She put her hands on the bar and stood up quickly.

"I'm sorry," Raye said with a trembling voice. "There has to be some kind of mistake. My advisor has paid AVALANCHE to watch over me, while my kingdom is being taken care of. There is no way that AVALANCHE is still working like this…"

Tifa looked a little worried. "Barrett hasn't told me anything else. As far as I know, you're going to be part of this team."

Raye sat down, unable to stop herself from swaying dangerously.

"Are you feeling alright? You're pale," Tifa said, looking a little worried.

"No, no, no, no, no…." Raye muttered as she set her head down onto the bar. "I'll kill him…."

Before Tifa could say anything else, two men and a woman broke into the bar shouting, yelling, and laughing. Raye looked up and Tifa saw tears in the girl's eyes. Tifa put her hand on Raye's arm comfortingly.

"It'll be fine. We'll talk to Barrett when he comes in."

"Hey, Tifa! Let's get some food and drinks over here in celebration!" The fattest of the three that came in yelled.

Tifa rolled her eyes and began taking out glasses and plates.

"Papa!"

The little girl who was sitting quietly in the corner now jumped from her seat and ran to the door as it opened. A tall man with spiky blond hair walked through, and the girl blushed and ran back to her seat. Tifa walked out from behind the bar to the man.

"Welcome back, Cloud," she greeted with a large smile on her face. "Looks like everything went well. Did you fight with Barrett?"

The man whom she called Cloud shrugged. "Yeah."

Tifa shook her head and said, "I should have known. Well, I'm glad everyone's safe."

The door opened once more, and an extremely large, dark-skinned man walked through and hugged the little girl. She laughed and returned his affection. Raye felt shyer than she ever had before. Now, she wished that she would disappear into the woodwork instead of being here among the commotion. The large man who she heard someone call 'Barrett' glanced at her and calmed down. He took his daughter off his shoulder and set her on the floor. He turned to face Raye fully and she saw that his right (?) arm was non-existent. In its place, was a large gun-like machine. The hairs on her head stood on end and she silently wished that everything were a dream.

"Alright fools! Get in here! We're starting the meeting and I've got a lot to say!" he yelled. The three at the table, Barrett, and Cloud all went to one end of the bar where a pinball machine was located. The floor under the machine lowered and they all stepped down into a room below. Tifa gently took her arm led her down the stairs.

_Please let me be dreaming…_

As soon as her boots touched the floor, and she saw that the members of AVALANCHE were looking at her with expectancy, she knew that there was no mistake and she would have to kill Joel when she saw him next.

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I'm sorry not much happened. I'll make sure that they go on the second mission together!

Please read and review! Thank you!


	3. My First Mission

**Rebellious**- Thank you very much, I'm happy to hear that you like my story.

**Pocky**- I'll update if you do too!

A long chapter is ahead of you…

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As her boots touched the floor, Raye walked over to Barrett with such speed, that's she nearly knocked over Tifa.

"Excuse me, Barrett. Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked a little apprehensively.

"Yeah. What is it?" he said with a gruff voice.

"There has been some mistake. My advisor, Joel, had told me that AVALANCHE would stop blowing up reactors for the time that I will spend here. I was just talking to Tifa, and she told me that that's not true," she said in a small and shaky voice.

"That's not it," Barrett said, looking a little confused. "The way he described it, he sounded like you were going to 'join' AVALANCHE."

Raye's heart sunk, and all the blood drained from her face.

"W-What?"

She put a hand on the table that the two men were sitting at, and the crowed room began to spin.

"Hey, you feelin awright?" she heard Barrett ask.

Raye leaned heavily on the table, and muttered a small yes.

One of the men sitting at the table finally spoke to her, "Hey, Princess. It's great to have you on the team!"

She looked up at him, and saw the he was fat and looked very jolly. "I'm Wedge," he said with a large smile, then stuffed something into his mouth.

"My name is Raye," she said with uneasiness.

The other man sitting at the table was tall and muscular. He laughed and called Wedge a pig in a friendly tone.

"I'm Biggs. If you need anything, just ask."

Raye carefully stood up again and thanked him. Barrett looked back at her from the giant punching bag he was destroying. "Are you better?"

"I'm fine," she whispered while nodding in disbelief.

"Well, there's nuthin I can do now. All the missions are set up. B'sides, I think it'll do you good."

For some reason, she felt that he hit a nerve. "What are you trying to say?"

He laughed gruffly and said, "Nuthin, nuthin. Jus' that you're a princess, and I don't think you've done anything this dangerous. Some training and missions'll toughen you up."

Her anger was rising, "I'm not a pampered little princess!"

Wedge and Biggs, who were still sitting at the table, stopped and commented.

"I don't believe that," Wedge said with a full mouth.

"You're probably soft. You couldn't pick up that sword in the corner," he laughed and motioned to the corner of the room where a girl was working hard on a large computer.

"Isn't that right, Jessie?"

The girl at the computer turned around and looked confused. "What's right?"

"Nothing! Why don't you go try, Raye. I'm sure that you couldn't pick it up."

Red in the face from anger she yelled, "Fine!" and walked over there. She stopped in front of it, and took a long look at it. It was wider than any sword she had ever seen, and longer too. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Wedge and Biggs snickering. Her anger still burning intensely, she grabbed the hilt of the sword and moved it away from the wall. The point of the blade wouldn't lift off the floor, and she was turning red again from the strain. She used both hands to hold the hilt and try to pick up the rest of it.

Wedge and Biggs howled with laughter.

"Shut up! I can do this!" she yelled over her shoulder. She went back to concentrating on the sword when a man's hand came from her left side, took the sword from her, and lifted it with ease. She turned and looked at him; it was the man with the spiky blond hair she heard Tifa call 'Cloud'.

"What are you doing with my sword?" he said with some iciness in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry..." she said with a trembling voice. She looked down at her boots because his eyes were frightening her. They were blue-green and had an eerie glow, which seemed to grow in intensity as she looked at him.

"My-My name is Raye. I'm sorry, I was-"

"Aw, Cloud, don't be mean to her. We were just betting that she couldn't pick up your buster sword, and we won!" Wedge and Biggs clinked glasses and took long drinks.

Raye's face turned red for the third time, but now it was from embarrassment.

He ignored her and walked right past her to talk to Barrett.

"Where's my money?"

Barrett was instantly angry.

"Listen, you! Don't go thinking you so bad jus' cause you was in SOLIDER! You ain't getting paid till the next mission!"

Cloud didn't reply; he just stared off into space nonchalantly, and Barrett was angered further.

"Yeah, you're strong. But don't forget that your skinny ass is working for AVALANCHE now! Don't get no idea about hanging onto Shinra!" he yelled at the blond man.

The last sentence now made Cloud angry.

"Staying with Shinra? I'm going upstairs. I want to talk about my money," he said and quickly turned to leave, brushing past Raye.

"Wait Cloud!" Tifa yelled.

"Let him go. Looks like he still misses the Shinra," Barrett said with nastiness.

Cloud stopped and turned around again to glare at Barrett.

"Shut up!" he yelled with obvious anger. "I don't care about Shinra or SOLIDER. But don't get me wrong. I don't care about AVALANCHE or the Planet for that matter!"

He turned once more and left, with Tifa following him upstairs.

"That guy-Cloud-he really is scary, isn't he?" Raye said to no one in particular.

"Him?" Barrett grunted. "Not really. He jus' thinks he is cuz he was in SOLIDER."

Raye thought for a moment and went to sit down at the table with Wedge and Biggs.

"That's Shinra's elite army, isn't it?"

"Yeah. But he's quit and now he's a mercenary," Biggs answered.

"So, Raye," Wedge said. It seemed that he had finally finished eating. "You're coming on the mission with us tomorrow, right?"

She nodded slowly. "I guess I am."

"That's great," Biggs said smiling. "Maybe with some training, and some more experience, you'll finally be able to pick up a sword."

Raye stared at her lap and blushed.

"Excuse me."

Raye looked up at the girl who was on the computer before. "Yes?"

The girl smiled warmly at her and handed her a card. "My name's Jessie. You're going to need that so hold onto it."

Raye looked at the card and saw her picture on it but wrong information.

"This isn't right."

"No, its okay. I made fake IDs for all of us for when we're on the train tomorrow," Jessie assured her.

"Oh, thank you."

Raye carefully put the small card into the cloth around her middle, to keep it safe.

"Damn," she heard Barrett mutter. "I'd better pay his spiky ass before he really does leave."

Barrett went to the pinball machine and climbed up to the bar floor. Raye got up, bowed, excused herself, and followed Barrett.

"Wait a sec, big-time SOLIDER! A promise is a promise! Here!"

As Raye made it to the floor, she saw Barrett showing money at Cloud.

Cloud stared down at the gil in his hand. "This is my pay?" he said without looking happy at all. "Don't make me laugh." He put the money away into his pocket. "Do you have the next mission lined up? I'll do it for three thousand."

"Whaaat!" Barrett yelled, looking thoroughly stunned.

"It's alright, Barrett. Calm down…" Tifa whispered to him. "We're really hurting for help, aren't we?"

"But that money's for Marlene's schooling!" he whispered back. He turned back to Cloud and yelled, "Two thousand!"

Cloud shrugged, guessing that it was better than the fifteen hundred he received for the last mission.

"Thanks, Cloud," Tifa said with a smile.

Raye felt a little push and looked down. Barrett's daughter bumped into her and now looked nervous. Raye smiled and kneeled next to her.

"What's your name?"

"Marlene," she said quickly, and then ran to her father with her short brown hair swishing behind her.

_I guess I found someone shyer than I am._

Tifa returned to her place behind the bar, Marlene went to play with Barrett in another room, and Cloud sat at a table alone looking like he was deep in thought.

Raye silently walked over to Cloud's table. "Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"

"I don't really care."

She moved the wooden chairs and sat down across from him.

"What's your name?"

"Cloud," he said shortly.

Raye nervously tapped her fingers on the table. She had a question she wanted to ask but the awkwardness was making her nervous.

"Can I ask you something?"

He looked up from the table at her.

"Well, it seems that I'm going to be joining AVALACHE…"

A sound came from Cloud that sounded like a laugh.

She continued, "And I'd rather be an asset, than a burden. Could I ask to teach me to be stronger and how you wield a sword?"

"You aren't serious," he said with slight disbelief.

"Of course I am!"

He stood up from the table. "It would be meaningless to try to teach a princess to use a sword."

She, too, stood and faced him head-on with a very serious expression. "I am serious, and there is no guarantee that I'll be a princess much longer."

He didn't understand, but didn't ask for more information. "Fine. Tomorrow, if you come back from the mission alive."

He left the bar and Raye went over to Tifa.

"Is he serious?"

Tifa smiled and tried to reassure her. "No, I'm sure you'll be fine. Listen, I know it's been a long day. You can go upstairs into my room and get some sleep. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"But where are you-"

"Don't worry about me," Tifa said, smiling.

_Thank god. I'm so tired…_

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Raye couldn't sleep well. There were so many things clouding her mind. The state of her kingdom, killing Joel, where her family was, killing Joel, what would happen on the mission tomorrow, and killing Joel were some of the things that she couldn't stop thinking about. After lying awake in Tifa's bed for a while, she sat up. She stared down at the crumpled white sheets. Tifa's bed wasn't very different from her own, but the uncomfortable feeling wouldn't disappear. She slipped her belted boots back onto her feet, and left the room. She crept downstairs and looked into the main room. It was empty except for Tifa.

"Hello, Raye. Did you sleep well?"

Raye walked over to the barstools and sat down onto the one in front of Tifa. "I didn't sleep very much. I couldn't stop thinking about what's going on in Arainiel."

"I'm sure its okay."

Raye looked up at Tifa. She was so nice, it was almost impossible. Her brown eyes were warm and they seemed to be comforting by themselves. Her long hair was tied at the bottom and swished as she walked. She also couldn't help thinking about the revealing clothes she wore. She has a cutoff white t-shirt, and black shorts with suspenders. She shrugged the thought off. It wasn't important what she wore, after all.

She heard a noise and saw Cloud come into the bar from the secret room downstairs.

"Good morning, Cloud. Did you sleep well?"

He shook his head and put his hands into his pockets. "Nah. Barrett's snoring kept me up."

At that moment, Barrett walked in not looking happy at all.

"Our target's the Sector Five reactor. Head to the train station first. I'll fill you in on the train," he said as he walked in. "Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie have already left."

He looked around at the members of the bar, stopping at Cloud.

"Yo, Cloud! Before the next mission, I got something I wanna ask ya! I, uh, don't know how to use materia! I'll give you the materia you found. Just teach me how to use it."

Cloud sighed and scratched the back of his head. "You wouldn't understand."

Barrett was instantly enraged.

"So this is what makes you guys in Solider so great, huh! Ok. I'll ask Jessie later. But you're in charge of the materia!"

"Okay, everyone. Let's get going," Tifa said with some excitement in her voice.

Raye slid off the chair and joined Tifa, Barrett, and Cloud.

They walked to the train station in another sector of the slums, which was as broken-down as the slums they just left. Raye stayed close to Tifa. Luckily, there was already a train waiting at the station. They walked onto it and the man who was standing outside closed the doors and told the conductor to start the train. They sat on the plastic seats in silence.

"We're approaching the ID checkpoint," she heard Jessie say from the front of their car.

Very soon, there were flashing red lights and a siren.

"What's going on?" Raye yelled over the noise.

"We didn't pass the check! We've gotta run!" she heard someone yell.

Tifa grabbed her hand and they followed the rest of the team to the next cart. A voice over the loudspeaker said something about a level one lockdown, and Tifa yelled back at her that they had to continue to the next cars. At the last car, the voice said something about a total lockdown.

"We have to jump!" Barrett yelled.

"What!"

Tifa had already jumped, and Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs were disguised.

"Come on!" Cloud yelled at her. He grabbed her arm and they both jumped.

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I know I shouldn't stop here but this is really, really long…

Please read and review!


	4. Falling

I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That chapter was already almost six pages long already… If I had continued, it might have ended up being ten pages. . I'm sorry it was a cliffy… I cant believe that I'm updating so fast.. I really have nothing to do… TT

Thanks again to those who have reviewed!

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Raye wasn't fully ready for the jump, but in the confusion of the lights, the siren, and the screaming, she felt someone grab her hand and pull her out of the train. As her body left the inside of the train, she felt a panic as the concrete floors of Midgar came closer. Cloud didn't land on his feet with poise as she'd thought, but he did a forward roll to make up for it. Raye landed none too gracefully on her shoulder.

"Aaah…" she moaned in pain.

"You're useless, you know that?" he said to her as he stood up. Once again, she angered quickly.

"Well, you're the one who dragged me out of the train without warning!" she yelled at him, while holding onto her bleeding shoulder.

"Do you have any restore materia?" he asked.

"If I did, don't you think that I would use it?" she growled from the floor.

He shrugged and noticed Tifa calling them over by a manhole.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her along again.

"Would you let go of me?" she said as she wrenched her elbow from his grasp.

He let go as they reached Tifa, he let go.

"Listen, Barrett said that we have to go underground to get to the reactor. There he is!" Tifa said when she noticed that the large man was coming toward them.

"Awright, everyone ready?" he shouted. "Let's go."

While Cloud and Barrett went down the hole, Tifa gave Raye a small potion for her injury.

"That's not going to heal you fully, but it should stop the pain," Tifa said, rushing a little. "Now let's go. We have to do this quickly."

Raye was utterly stunned as she went down the ladder with Tifa. She was from a small kingdom that not many people have heard of, and Midgar was amazing to see. What stunned her now was that Midgar was extensively concrete and metal, even the underground. She didn't have any idea where she was going, but the other three members obviously did.

Raye followed Tifa closely as they went through a large maze of tunnels, vents, and ladders. She did her best not to get lost. While walking, she noticed Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie in different places throughout. After a long time, they came to a bridge over everything that had just come through, and at the end of it, was a large machine-like structure. She stared in awe, and walked forward towards it.

"This is a reactor? It's so large and elaborate…"

Tifa nodded and said, "Yeah. We're going to blow it up now."

"Go set the bomb, Cloud," Barrett ordered.

He nodded and walked towards the Sector Five reactor, holding the bomb Jessie had made in his hand. After taking a few steps, he stopped and fell to one knee. He dropped the bomb and held his head as though he had suddenly gotten a splitting headache. Raye, who was closest to him, kneeled beside him and tried to help. She put a hand on his back and talked to him.

"Cloud? Cloud, are you okay?"

He shook his head to clear his mind.

"Damn, man. Get a hold of yourself," Barrett muttered sternly.

"You alright?" Tifa asked him with a worried look on her face.

"…Tifa," he mumbled.

"Mm?"

"No…forget…Come one, lets hurry," he yelled as he pushed Raye's hand off and stood up. He walked over and set the bomb on the reactor, as if nothing had happened.

"It's done. Let's go, Raye," Tifa said while tugging on her hand. "We have to leave before it goes off."

"Y-yeah…" Raye replied, and walked with her. They hurried to another floor again, and Raye went back to trying not to get lost.

They opened heavy metal doors to a room where there was some king of rectangular control panel in the center.

"Jessie said that to move on we need to press the panels at the same time. Cloud moved to one side of it, and Barrett and Tifa moved to the other. Raye waited off to the side for the group to finish up and tell her that their mission was complete. After a few tries, they managed to synchronize and press the panels together. As they did, the other doors opened to another room with a bridge-like structure that formed a 'T'.

They hadn't slowed down since the bomb was set, so they ran to the other end. As they reached the intersection, Shinra soldiers cornered them.

"Oh, no," Raye whispered.

"A trap…" Cloud growled in anger.

From the part of the intersection that jutted out to their left, a man in a burgundy suit walked out. He looked middle-aged or older, and he was starting to go bald.

"President Shinra?" Barrett exclaimed in surprise.

"Why's the President here?" Tifa said, also extremely surprised.

Raye, remembering that her presence in Midgar wasn't supposed to be known, hid behind Barrett.

"Hmm, so you al must be that… What was it..?" He trailed off thoughtfully.

"AVALANCHE! And don't ya forget it!" Barrett screamed at the man who was half the size he was. "And you're President Shinra, huh?"

Cloud walked forward toward the president, looking grave.

"Long time no see, President."

"Long time no see?" the president repeated in confusion. "Oh… you. You're the one who quit SOLIDER and joined AVALANCHE. I knew you'd been exposed to Mako from the look in your eyes. Tell me, traitor… What was you name?"

"Cloud," he snapped.

"Forgive me for asking, but I can't be expected to remember everyone's name. Unless you become another Sephiroth…" he trailed off. "Yes, Sephiroth. He was brilliant… Perhaps too brilliant…"

"Sephiroth…?" Cloud repeated, wondering about the President's lack of completing full sentences.

Barrett, who was getting angry by having to stay silent, exploded, "Don't give about none of that! This place is going up with a big BANG soon! Serves ya all right!"

"And such a waste of good fireworks to get rid of vermin like you," President Shinra said dreamily.

"VEMIN!" Barrett screamed and thrashed blindly in anger, causing Raye to step away so she wouldn't get hurt. "That's all you can say…VERMIN! Y'all Shinra are the vermin, killing the Planet! And that makes you king VERMIN! So shu'up, jackass!"

"…You're beginning to bore me. And I'm a very busy man, so if you'll excuse me. I have a dinner I must attend," he said without being fazed by Barrett's yelling.

"Dinner!" Barrett continued screaming. "Don't give me that!" I ain't even started wit' you yet!"

"But I've arranged a playmate for you all," he said as his lips curved into a strange smile.

This is when Raye began to notice a metallic whirring and clanking noise.

"What's that noise?" Tifa whispered.

"The Hell's this!" Barrett yelled.

From the room where they came from, a giant robot lunged out at them, separating Tifa and Barrett from Cloud and Raye.

"Meet 'Airbuster', a techno-soldier. Our Weapon Development Department created him. I'm sure the data he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of great use in future experiments," he said, without hiding his glee. A helicopter appeared from below, and President Shinra got inside.

"Wait, President!" Cloud yelled after the escaping helicopter.

"Yo, Cloud! We've gotta do somethin about this robot!" Barrett yelled from the opposite side of the Airbuster.

It began attacking them, and they knew that they had no other choice but to defeat the monster.

"Raye! Can you even fight?" Cloud yelled over the noise.

"I have some magic," she yelled back.

Barrett began to shoot at it with his gun-arm. Tifa put on fighting gloves and punched it repeatedly. From the sheath on his back, Cloud detached his Buster Sword and attacked the robot. After each of their attacks, it countered with small missiles, or its gun.

_Okay, my turn is coming up. I have to do this… I have to pull my own weight…_

She put her hands in front of her chest and bowed her head. She lifted her arms toward the high, cracked ceiling, and then thrust them towards the robot, casting Fire3.

"Good job, Raye!" she heard Tifa yell.

_I guess I'm not totally useless…_ she thought with a smile, while somehow enjoying herself. _I like this better than sitting at home, listening to Joel drabble on about something._

After her attack, she completely forgot about the robot's counter attacks. It turned towards her and lifted its gun. She was shot a few times, and the robot turned towards Tifa, who had just attacked him. She went down on one knee, seeing some blood on the concrete.

"Are you serious? You're already down to the yellow in your HP?" Cloud yelled at her, not sounding happy at all. He threw her a potion.

"Thanks!"

Within a few minutes, the robot had stopped moving and landed over on its side with a loud clunk.

"I- I did it," Raye said in slight disbelief. She grinned widely as she felt herself receive the experience points, and even wider as she leveled up.

"I did it!" she yelled jumping into the air.

"Stop jumping! We've gotta get-" Cloud started, but he couldn't finish because there was a large explosion coming from the place where the robot was. Before she realized what had happened she was falling, and a hand grabbed hers. She opened her eyes and looked up. Cloud was holding her hand and hanging onto a thick metal bar coming from the broken bridge. There was a giant gap where the robot had exploded, and Barrett and Tifa stared down at them from where they were before the robot had detonated.

"The reactor's gonna blow! We have to go, Tifa!" Barret said loudly.

"Cant you do something?" she begged.

"Not a damn thing…."

"Cloud! Please don't die! You can't die!"

Cloud couldn't answer, from the strain of supporting himself and Raye.

"Are you going to be awright?" Barrett yelled.

"…..She's heavy," he managed to say.

"Hey!" Raye yelled furiously.

He ignored her, "You worry about yourselves!"

"Sorry bout all this…" Barrett replied.

"Stop talking like this is the end!"

"Awright, later," Barrett said.

The reactor exploded and the entire room shook. Cloud couldn't hold on and his grip slipped. Raye's heart sunk as she felt the uncomfortable falling feeling and watched Barrett and Tifa's faces disappear into the smoke and fire.

"Cloud!" she screamed desperately, but she couldn't see him or anything else.

"Mmmm…" she felt a pain in her back, but she couldn't move.

"Oh, it moved!" she heard a female voice say. The voice wasn't clear or close to her. She opened her eyes a little and looked to her side. She saw spiky blond hair close to her face, and beyond that, a pretty girl with curly brown hair and bright green eyes. She wore a pink dress and a tiny red jacket. Her hair was tied back with a pink ribbon. Cloud shifted, and she spoke to him, "Hello? Are you okay?"

_I can't move_ Raye thought very unhappily.

Cloud sat up and shook his head.

"Are you okay?" The girl repeated. "This is a church in the Sector Five slums. The roof suddenly fell on top of me, I got really scared…"

"…I came crashing down?" he said while sounding dazed.

She nodded and smiled, "The roof and the flower bed broke your fall. You're lucky."

"Flower bed… Is this yours?" he mumbled as he got up. "Sorry about that."

She too got up and Raye had a terrific view of their shoes. She closed her eyes and willed her body to move.

"That's all right. The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place," she smiled and looked down at the white flowers. "They saw you can't grow grass and flowers in Midgar. But for some reason, the flowers have no trouble blooming here. I love it."

Cloud shrugged, not knowing what to say. The girl bent down and worked on the flowers.

"So we meet again."

"…," Cloud stayed silent.

"…Don't you remember me?" she asked with a smile.

"I never saw you before…," he finally said.

"I guess you don't remember," she said with a lot of disappointment. "That's okay. You were walking in a daze. Say, do you have any materia?"

"Yes, some."

_STOP MAKING SMALL TALK AND HELP ME!_ Raye wanted to scream.

"Mine is special. It's good for nothing," she laughed.

"Good for nothing? You probably don't know how to use it."

"No, I do… It just doesn't do anything. I feel safe just having it. It was my mother's…Say, I feel like talking. Do you feel up to it?"

_You've talked enough… Please help the girl who is still collapsed on the floor._

"Got nothing to talk about."

_Finger…finger… Come on, move!_

Raye opened her eyes once more and twitched her fingers.

"Oh! We don't know each other's names, do we? I'm Aeris, the flower girl. It's nice to meet you."

_Yeah, move your hand…_

_Now, your arm…_

Raye shifted, and carefully sat up. She held her hand to her chest, trying to get the feeling back.

"Oh, you're awake too?" Aeris smiled at her.

_Yeah, I'm awake. Thanks a lot…_ she thought bitterly.

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Yeah, I don't like Aeris. I thought she was annoying in the beginning of the game. :P please read and review! Constructive criticism appreciated!


	5. Oh, Holy! Not again!

Thank you my loved reviewers!

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Raye rubbed her back unhappily.

_Ow… I must have hit my back when I landed._

Cloud took no notice of Raye's reanimation.

"The name's Cloud. Me? I do a little bit of everything," he answered with indifference.

Raye carefully stood up, and brushed dust and dirt off her. Her hands shook as she resisted the urge to throw something at the back of his head.

_Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking. No, the roof broke my fall. I'm okay._

Aeris giggled, "A jack of all trades."

"Yeah, I do whatever's needed."

She laughed again.

"What's so funny? What are you laughing at?"

_Maybe throwing that block of wood at him would kill him…_

"Nothing," she said with a smile. "Just bad timing on my part."

Raye, getting more annoyed, walked around the run-down church to look around and stretch her legs.

"This is terrible," she whispered to herself as she passed a collapsed rafter near the back of the church where the doors were. Half of the pews were missing seats or backings. Occasionally, there was a trickle of dust coming from the ceiling.

She saw movement coming from the corner of her eye and she turned to look. A tall man with flaming red hair walked in. He wore goggles on top of his head, where short pieces of hair were sticking up. He wore a white shirt and a blue blazer, with the crumpled, wrinkled white shirt sticking out of his pants untidily. His eyes had the same glow as Cloud's and red, stripe-like tattoos around the outer edges of his eyes. He turned to look behind him and saw that his red hair grew in length was in a ponytail. In his hand was some kind of metallic stick, about two feet long, and leaned it on his shoulder while looking annoyed.

_He doesn't look like a joyous preacher._

"Umm… Cloud?" she turned and walked quickly back to Aeris and Cloud. Aeris was giggling and asking Cloud to be her bodyguard.

"Come on, then. Take me home, bodyguard!"

"Um… excuse me," Raye interrupted with an annoyed tone.

"Okay, but it'll cost you," Cloud continued.

"Hmm…," Aeris hummed thoughtfully. "How about I go out with you once?"

Raye's anger was at its boiling point.

"Excuse… me…" she managed through gritted teeth.

_Damn Lillith for teaching me manners. Say something because I am NOT invisible…_

"Oh, yes?" Aeris said, turning to her as if she just realized that Raye was trying to say something.

"Back there…," she said while pointing over her shoulder.

Aeris looked over her shoulder and immediately looked worried.

Cloud, too, noticed this and confronted the intruder.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but…," he began. "Wait, that uniform. I know you."

Behind the red-haired man in messy uniform came three lower-class Shinra soldiers.

"Reno, you want us to take him out?" one of the soldiers asked the redhead.

"I haven't decided yet," the man they called 'Reno' answered lazily.

"Don't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers!"

_The flowers? Are you kidding?_ _These guys are going to kill us!_

Raye stepped behind Cloud, out of sight.

"We should go…"

He nodded and yelled for Aeris to follow them. He led Raye and Aeris to the back where there was an open door, almost falling off its hinges.

Reno walked forward, not caring that he was trampling all over the white flowers.

"They were…Mako eyes…"

Behind him, the soldiers were goofing and laughing.

"Alright, back to work! Oh, and don't step on the flowers!" he said, probably not realizing that he had destroyed the ones under his feet. Instantly, his followers complained about how he just stepped on them and how he was going to catch holy hell.

Reno shot them a dangerous look; they shut up quickly, and went after Cloud and the others.

Cloud, Raye and Aeris had already reached the top of the first flight of stairs when Reno and his followers came through the door.

"Over there!"

"Come on, we have to run!" Cloud yelled to the girls who were behind him. He jumped across a large hole in the wooden floor. Raye jumped after him, just barely making it. She almost fell backwards, and Cloud pulled her roughly to safety. Aeris shook her head with a terrified look on her face.

"I guess I'll have to hold them off then."

"Hey! The Ancient is getting away! Fire!"

Raye immediately heard gunshots, and saw Aeris fall to the ground, then roll down a large support beam to the floor below.

"Cloud! Help!"

"Just run up to the top floor!" he yelled back at her. For the millionth time, he grabbed Raye's hand and dragged her to the stairs.

"Cloud, if you don't stop dragging me, I'm gonna-"

"There's no time for this!"

"Cloud!" Aeris shrieked as soldiers came closer.

"Just run!"

Cloud and Raye reached the top floor, which seemed to have the only intact rafters.

Aeris reached them quickly and they hurried through a large crack in the ceiling to the outside roof. Once there, Aeris sat down and Raye collapsed.

"I cant do this… First, I'm a mission with robots that are trying to kill me, then I get chased by suits? Oh, man…"

"Sorry. This isn't your kingdom, _Princess,_" Cloud sneered.

Before Raye could retort, Aeris spoke.

"Ha, ha… They're looking for me again..."

"You mean this isn't the first time?" Raye asked.

"…No."

"They're the Turks," Cloud said. "They're an organization in Shinra. They scout for possible candidates for SOLIDER."

"This violently?" Raye asked, astounded.

Cloud nodded, "Yeah, they're also involved in a lot of dirty stuff on the side. Spying, murder, you know."

"They look like it," Aeris whispered.

"But why are they after you?"

Aeris smiled and stood. "Maybe they think I have what it take to be in SOLIDIER!"

"Do you want to join?"

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully. "But I don't want to get caught by THOSE people!"

"Then, it's settled," Raye said as she stood up. "Let's get away from them."

"This way," Cloud announced as he jerked his head to the side.

_Oh, Holy. Not again. Can I go back to Arainiel? _

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Very dry chapter, I know… Please R&R!


	6. To Aeris's House and Back Again

Yes, the last chapter sucked... I NEED IDEAS! Suggestions are appreciated... please read the prequel to this story!

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Raye did her best to keep up with Cloud as the three of them jumped from roof to roof.

_At least I'm not doing as bad as Aeris. _Aeris, who was lagging behind a great deal, yelled for them to stop. Cloud stopped, Raye caught up, and finally, Aeris caught up too.

"W-wait! Don't leave me!" she panted as she approached.

Cloud laughed at her, "And I thought you were cut out to be in SOLDIER?"

"Oh, you're terrible!" she laughed.

_This flirting is making me sick._

Raye endured listening to Aeris talk about Cloud being in SOLDIER and whatnot before they finally continued to the ground.

"Come on! My house is this way!" Aeris said excitedly while pointing off in one direction. She went ahead, and Cloud started walking in that direction.

"Cloud, shouldn't we find Barret and the others? Or at least wait for them at Tifa's bar?" Raye asked softly.

"Nah, I told Aeris I'd take her home. You can go," he told her without turning around.

"Are you kidding?" she said louder, getting angry. " I don't even know where I am!"

"And you want what from me?" he asked nonchalantly as he walked.

She growled at him in anger, "You make me so mad somehow!"

She picked up a small pebble and threw it at the back of his head. It made contact, and then bounced off harmlessly.

"What the hell?" he turned to stare at her red-faced expression and scratched the back of his head. "What was that?"

"That was the only thing I could find to throw at you!"

"Strange _and_ useless..." he muttered. She waked straight up to him and punched his armas hard as

she could. Once again, he stared at her with confusion.

"You know that didn't hurt, right?"

She stared at the floor in embarassment, and blushed a brighter shade of red. "Yes, I know..."

He turned to face her and scratched his head again. "Maybe I _should_ help you get stronger..." he said thoughtfully.

"You mean you werent going to?" she exclaimed in disbelief. He folded his arms and smiled at her.

"I'd thought you were a lost cause," he began. "But now I know that you'll get yourself killed if I dont..."

Raye's heart fell and she let out an exasperated sigh. _Thats it. He's just like Joel. And he thinks I'm strange useless. Oh, this will be fun..._

"Come on, you guys! What are you waiting for?" they heard Aeris shout from far away.

"Let's go, then!" Raye said, trying to be cheerful while taking a 'the trail we blaze!' pose.

Once again, she received a strangelook from Cloud as they walked toward Aeris.

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They continued on through the slums, until they reached a beautiful house surrounded bygreen bushes. Raye smiled at the change of scenery. It was a two-floored home and seemed well taken care of.

"Come on in," Aeris motioned them to come inside. "I'm home, Mom!"

The inside of the house was also beautifully decorated in its simplicity. The woman inside greeted them and took off her apron.

"Mom, this is Cloud. He's my bodyguard. And this is his friend..." she trailed off, thinking.

"Raye," Raye snapped quietly.

"Bodygard?" Aeris's mother repeated. Her gentleface became painted with worry."You mean you were followed again? You're not hurt, are you?"

Smiling, Aeris shook her head. "No,I had Cloud with me."

Her mother sighed with relief and thanked him.

_Yes, allow me to just fade into the background._

"My name is Elmyra," she said softly. "Would you two like to stay for dinner?"

"S-," Cloud began but was interupted.

"I'm sorry, Miss Elmyra. We have to return to Sector Seven. Thank you for your offer," Raye said.

"I can show you the way," Aeris said to Raye in a very friendly way. "Mom! I'm takingthem to Sector 7. I'll be back in a while."

"Wouldn't you like to go tomorrow? Its dangerous, and its already getting late."

"Then we might as well stay," Cloud said, and Raye sighed.

"I'm glad to hear it," Elmyra smiled. "Aeris, go make the beds to our guests can get some rest."

Aeris nodded and went up the wooden stairs on the left side of the house.

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"Thank you very much, Miss Elmyra. That was delicious," Raye said while she helped clear the table.

"There's no need to help, dear. Just go upstairs and rest. Tomorrow Aeris will show you and your friend the way," Elmyra told her in a gentle, mother-like way. Raye nodded, thanked her again, and followed Cloud and Aeris upstairs. There were two rooms and Aeris led them into the larger one.

"Make sure you rest for tomorrow. Goodnight," she said cheerfully and left.

Raye looked at the room, it was furnished like the rest of the house: in simple wooden furniture. Cloud had already settled on the only bed in the room.

_Fine. Whatever..._

She sat on the wooden chair at the desk across from the bed that was placed against the wall. She folded her arms on the desk and set her head down. She looked over at Cloud. He was stretched out with his arms behind his head.

"There's a cut on your arm," she said softly as she sat up again. He opened his eyes sleepily as she walked over. "Right there," she said pointing to his forearm, where a long gash was thatlooked like it had recently stopped bleeding.He took a look, then muttered that it was nothing. She tore off apiece of her long, black, ripped skirt, andtied it carefully to becomea makeshift bandage.

"You have to take care of cuts like that or they'll get worse," she muttered while she sat next to him. He, too, sat up and told her that he didnt need it. She ignored him and gently wrapped the cloth around his arm. She tightened it and examined his arm. "This should be okay. When we ge back, you should clean it and get it bandaged properly..." she continued dreamily.

"Whats wrong?"

He felt her soft skin press against his arm as she fell asleep. He sighed and carefully leaned them both against the wall. In a few moments, he also fell asleep.

My, how you're grown... I'll bet the girls never leave you alone.

Not really.

…I'm worried about you, Cloud. There are a lot of temptations in the city…I'd feel a lot better if you just settled down and had a nice girlfriend.

…I'm all right.

You should have…an older girlfriend, one that'll take care of you. I think that would be the perfect type for you.

……I'm not interested.

Cloud carefully opened his eyes, and looked around.

_...I must've fallen asleep._ _Sector 7's right past Sector 6...We should we alright by ourselves..._

He gently shook Raye's arm until she woke up.

"We have to go," he said quietly. She rubbed her eyes and murmured, "Where are we?"

"Just get up. We have to leave quietly."

She was still disoriented so he took her hand and led her out. They left the house and Raye was begining to truly awaken. "Why are we up? The sun's barely out..."

He ignored her and they set out onto the Sector Six streets. Ontheir way,they unexpectedly saw Aerith at the scene.

"You're up bright and early," she said, smiling.

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please R&R and suggest stuff. ;;;


	7. The Wall Market

1I want to squeeze in the Cloud in drag thing. Very, very, very long chapter ahead. Yes, I ripped most of it from the game...

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Raye rubbed her eyes until Aeris came into focus. She had her hands on her hips and was smiling at them as though she had caught them in the act of wrongdoing.

"How could I ask you to go when I knew it would be dangerous?" Cloud muttered as he shook his head.

Aeris rolled her eyes at him, and motioned for them to follow her. Cloud released Raye's hand, and proceeded to follow Aeris, with Raye trailing behind. Through a small tunnel-like structure, that seemed as though it was hundreds of years old and about to collapse, there was a run-down playground, complete with swings that were broken at the chains and a rusty slide with chipped paint. Raye felt a small pain in her heart at the sight of it. Back home in Arainiel, everything was new and clean. But here in Midgar, everything was broken, dirty, and dangerous. Even the simplest things, like the playground, didn't seem to be taken care of.

"Cloud, is everything like this in Midgar?" she mumbled softly from behind him when she stopped to stare.

"Like what?" he asked, also stopping. Her eyes were slightly teary as she motioned towards the run-down park.

"No, only in the slums under the plate. The important or rich people, like Shinra and his employees, live on the top plate. I heard its nice up there."

"Its sad..."

"Huh?" he looked at her again, and her face was full of emotion.

"Its beautiful in Arainiel. The people are friendly, the land is always green...and the children always have somewhere to play," she stopped as she looked once again at the park. "It's nothing. I guess I'm just a little homesick..."

Cloud stayed silent for a little while, not knowing what to do. Before he could do anything, Raye's face broke into a fake, plastered smile and she started walking again.

"No time for that! We have to get back, come on!"

He nodded and they continued walking after Aeris.

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"The gate to Sector 7's in there," Aeris indicated. They had stopped at the end of the playground near a large, metal entrance.

Cloud nodded. "Thanks. I guess this is goodbye. You gonna be all right going home?"

"'Oh no! What ever will I do?' …Isn't that what you want me to say? 'Take me to Sector 7?' But won't I be in your way?"

"What do you mean 'in the way'?"

"Nothing! Can we take a break?" she said, seeming a little frustrated.

"Cloud, look!" Raye yelled from a few feet away.

A large metal gate had opened and a strange-looking, brightly embroidered cart that was being pulled by a large yellow bird had come into view. It quickly turned away from them to go down another direction. Raye noticed a girl sitting inside and when she realized who it was a feeling of dread came over her.

"Cloud, I saw Tifa in that cart!"

"It's headed toward the Wall Market," Aeris said in a serious tone. "We should follow it."

Before either Cloud or Raye could say anything, Aeris ran off in the same direction.

"I'll go on ahead!" she yelled over her shoulder, and soon she was out of sight.

"We'd better go, too," Raye said in a worried tone. "I don't think that Tifa is going for a nice drive in that cart."

He nodded in agreement and Raye noticed that his spiky hair didn't budge at all.

"That's so weird..." she whispered to no one in particular.

"What?"

She flushed a bright shade of red when she realized that Cloud had noticed her staring. She stared at the floor and stammered, "N-Nothing."

He shrugged and began walking without her.

"You know, you should try to stop turning red all the time," he said over his shoulder as he walked on. "It makes your face look like a tomato when you do it."

"What!" She (once again) flushed with anger, grabbed a small rock, and threw it at the back of his head.

This didn't seem to affect him so Raye threw her hands in the air, defeated, and stomped after him. In a few minutes they reached Aeris, who was waiting at the entrance to the Wall Market.

Raye looked down the brightly lit streets. The street was very long and narrow with people standing outside, advertising. The lights and noise affected Raye, as she felt a massive headache coming on. She continued to look around the wall market, and noticed that the population was mostly shady-looking men. She felt scared as some of the men turned to look at them because they were just standing in the middle of the street.

"I don't like it here," she mumbled, moving to hide behind Cloud.

"Yeah, this place is scary in a lot of ways. Especially for a girl. So we've got to find Tifa fast," Aeris announced with a definitive nod.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you'll understand soon."

"Come on," Cloud muttered, sounding grumpy.

They entered the Wall Market and looked around at the stores as they walked. Immediately they saw a dirty inn as they walked inside the 'market'. When they came across an opening between the stores, they took the route which headed to another area of the Market. There were less lights and sounds here, but soon enough more lights and a neon sign with girls in bee costumes greeted them. The girls were chibi-cartoon style and were surrounded by flying hearts. The large sign that glowed brightly, clearly read: "The Honey Bee Inn".

"You stay here," Cloud told them when they were close to the entrance, then walked off toward the man standing in the front.

"'Stay here' he says...," Raye grumbled, noticing some men coming towards them from the dark alleys.

"We'll, they cant be _dangerous_. A little perverted, maybe..." Aeris's voice shook slightly, making Raye guess she was getting nervous as well.

"Hello, ladies...," a deep voice greeted from behind them. They both shrieked and turned to look at the creep. He was taller than both Aeris and Raye, and looked as though he hadn't been sober for days. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes and his breath smelled strongly of alcohol.

"Um... hi..," Raye mumbled as she tried not to sound scared, but it was difficult with more shady men approaching.

"What are you girls doing out here?" another man asked.

"Oh, nothing..." Aeris managed with a nervous laugh.

"I like your leather belts," the Deep Voice said, and there was something about the way he said it that Raye didn't like. She jumped as she felt a hand prodding her back. Raye quickly went back-to-back with Aeris to avoid further contact from the guys.

"I don't like being touched," she growled at him. The man just laughed shamelessly and Raye got a creepy sensation.

"How old are you?" the second man asked Raye.

"N–Nineteen...," she answered which made the men look at each other in expectancy and laugh.

"What do you girls do?" a third man questioned.

"...I sell flowers," Aeris murmured, releasing sounds of disappointment from the men.

"And you, babe?" Deep Voice asked when addressing Raye, causing a chill to run up her spine.

"Get away from them," a composed voice broke through the shady men's attempts.

"Cloud," Raye sighed with relief.

The blonde walked through the group and claimed Aeris and Rays's hands while pulling them along. When they had left the general "Honey Bee" area and returned to the long, narrow streets, Cloud let go of them.

"I cant leave you two alone, can I?" he sounded annoyed.

"Never mind that. Did you find out where Tifa is?" Rays countered, while returning his annoyance. _Well, he did leave us in a dark alley surrounded by creepy perverts, _she thought, assuring herself that she had the right to be annoyed as well.

Nodding, Cloud answered, "Yeah, the guy said there's a mansion at the end of the Wall Market and we should look there."

"Then lets go, and don't leave us outside anymore."

"Hey, guys. I'm going to give my mother a call, and tell her that I'm alright. I'll meet you at the mansion in a little while," Aeris said, walking towards the exit of the Wall Market.

"Don't tell her that you're _here_!" Rays called after her, laughing, then turned to look at Cloud. "What are we going to do until Aeris comes back?"

Cloud opened his mouth to answer, but a loud growl that came from Raye's stomach interrupted him. She hugged herself and blushed a bright red.

"Tomato," he accused.

"Stop it! Come on, lets find a place to eat. I'm starved."

They walked in silence along the long street of the Wall Market.

"I don't see anything," she said as they passed a small store with large letters that read 'PHARMACY'.

"Over there."

Surely enough, there was an even smaller shop with a faint smell of food wafting towards them. They arrived at the nameless diner to find that it was almost packed with people.

"Sit anywhere you like," the man behind the counter greeted them, then went back to work. Raye looked around at all the people. They were sweaty and creepy-looking, like the guys outside of the Honeybee Inn, which made her uncomfortable.

"There's space over there," Cloud indicated toward the middle of the counter space. They sat side-by-side in silence until the man behind the counter approached them.

"What're you having?"

"What's on the menu?" Rays asked politely.

"Sushi, Korean Barbeque, and The Special."

"I'll take the Korean Barbeque," was Cloud's reply.

"The Sushi, please?" was Raye's.

"At this diner, you pay first," came the man's gruff voice.

Rays put her hands to her thin, belted obi to search for her gil. She pressed her hands to it repeatedly while flushing red. She turned to Cloud, "Someone stole my gil!"

"Its okay. I got it."

He placed some gil on the counter, and the waiter disappeared with it.

"I-I'm sorry..Thank you," she whispered. She lowered her eyes to stare at her lap, and concentrate on the tiny heart-with-wings charm that hung from her waist.

"Its okay, I mean, I should have expected that you'd be robbed or something," he said in an airy tone.

"Y-yeah, thanks..." she growled with her temper telling her to kill him.

"Why are you even here? I wouldn't expect to find a princess in a place like this."

She looked up at him, thoroughly puzzled.

"You don't know?"

His face was completely serious as he shook his head.

"Ah. Well. I'm hiding out in Midgar while some problems in Arainiel are being solved," she said with the same fake smile she had before, but she wouldn't look at him. She had returned to staring at her lap.

"What's happening?"

"What do you care?

"We have nothing else to do while we wait, right?"

"I see your point..." she said as she let out a nervous laugh and continued. "Well, some monsters have come into Arainiel, my army couldn't handle it very well, and the people are rioting. And other neighboring lands are coming in to try and take over. Nothing to worry about."

For the second time that day, Cloud didn't know what to say. The waiter returned with their food and set it down in front of them. Raye didn't move.

"I'm really not hungry anymore."

"How could you handle all of that by yourself? You're just a kid, aren't you?"

"I'm older than I look," she growled. "I'm nineteen."

You can barely handle some guys hitting on you."

"You don't know anything, obviously, so you shouldn't talk," her voice was unsteady with anger.

"Hmm?" he stopped at the sound of her voice, his fork hanging out of his mouth.

"I started reigning when I was younger because _I had no choice_. So shut up or you'll be sorry you said anything," she snapped.

He looked down at her lap, where she held her tightly closed fists.

"You're finally getting some backbone," and Cloud went back to eating.

She sat silently, fuming, but eventually calmed down.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just don't like talking about it."

He paused, as though trying to think of what to say, then answered, "You should eat. I don't need you fainting later."

She nodded, and they continued their meal in silence.

----------------------------------------

"How was your meal?" the waiter asked as he took their empty plates from the counter. Raye smiled kindly and replied, "It was great, thank you."

"Here you go, miss. Take this to the pharmacy later. If you ever need something, of course."

He handed her a slip of paper with the words 'Free Medicine' written on it in thick black letters.

"Thanks again," she said as she slipped the paper into her obi, and followed Cloud out of the diner.

"We should start heading to the mansion."

"Okay, then. Let's go," she said brightly and with resumed cheerfulness.

From the diner, they continued onward down the street. They passed a clothing store, a bar, a large pile of metal scraps and junk, a gym, and a store that said 'Weapons and Armor' on the outside door. Past the last store is when they saw the gigantic mansion, as brightly lit as any of the stores in the Wall Market. They walked into the open, gaping entrance to another door where a mean-looking man stood guard.

"Hello," Raye said, approaching the man with a smile and Cloud following. "May we come inside?"

The man returned her smile, but it disappeared when his eyes fell on Cloud.

"This is Don Corneo's mansion. He's a big shot here in Wall Market," he grumbled, directing it at Cloud. " Listen, the Don's not interested in men. So just get the hell outta here."

"I'll go in then," Raye started towards the door but Cloud grabbed her arm to stop her and moved away from the man's earshot. "What, Cloud?"

"You cant go in there by yourself."

She simply stared at him with a blank look.

"You DO know…what kind of…place this is, don't you?" he started.

"Well, I have an idea. I cant expect _you _to come in with me, can I?"

"Yeah, well, being a man, that'd be pretty hard. Besides if I busted in there, it'd cause too much commotion. But, I just can't let you go in alone… Oh, man…… First…we need to find out if Tifa's alright…," he trailed off, trying to think of an idea to solve their problem.

"I have an idea," she giggled. "But you might not like it..."

"What?"

"Well, why don't you try and dress up like a girl?"

He stared at her, utterly dumbstruck. "What..?"

Raye turned toward the man and smiled at him again. "I've got a couple of cute friends that I want to bring. Is that okay?"

The man nodded and added, "Just girls."

"I cant do that..." he groaned.

"Cloud, we have to find out if Tifa's alright, don't we? And you said yourself that cant go in alone. I doubt that Aeris would be much help to me," she looked at him very seriously while trying to hold back laughter at the very idea of Cloud cross-dressing.

"But-"

"You don't have a choice, Cloud. You have to come into the mansion and there's only one way to do that."

She took his hand and dragged him along because he seemed to have lost all motor functions at the very thought of wearing women's clothing. "I saw a clothing store on our way here. Come on."

They walked back along the street they had come from until they reached a store with a bright pink awning and dresses in the window. She pulled Cloud inside against his will and walked up to the young woman behind the counter.

"Excuse me! I'd like to get a dress, please?"

The woman's friendly smile faded as she answered, "Well, my father, the owner, has been in a slump lately. You see, he makes all the dresses. You can choose anyone of the dresses already made, if you'd like."

"No, thank you. This dress needs to be custom made... Where's your father?"

The girl sighed and closed her eyes, "Probably plastered at the bar."

"So… You're saying we can't get a dress unless we do something about your father?"

"Yes, I'm sorry he's causing so much trouble."

"No, its no trouble at all," Raye reassured the woman. "Let's go, Cloud."

Again, it seemed that he couldn't move so Raye proceeded to drag him along. Once outside, they found Aeris headed toward the mansion. Raye stopped her, called her over, and explained the situation with Aeris giggling the entire time. Cloud didn't seem happy about how the girls found this predicament amusing. He folded his arms across his chest and looked away from them. Raye rolled her eyes at him and forced him along to the bar they had passed twice before. The bar was large, almost the size of the mansion but very empty. They quickly found and old, balding man sitting at the bar and talking to himself. Aeris approached him to try and convince him to return to dressmaking.

"Excuse us, are you the father of the girl at the Clothing Store?"

"I own the store, but I ain't you father," he replied drunkenly.

Cloud, who was losing patience, spoke harshly to the old drunk. "Make me some clothes."

The man looked Cloud over once then answered, "I don't make men's clothes. And I don't feel like makin' anything right now."

"Cloud, Aeris, why don't you let me talk to him for a while?"

Aeris patted Cloud's shoulder as they walked away, for he looked very angry and upset that he had to work toward something he really didn't want.

"You know, sir, he always said that just once, he'd like to dress up like a girl. So, that's why I wanted a cute dress for him…"

The old man stared at her in disbelief. "What? A tough lookin' guy like that?"

"So will you make him one?" she asked, unable to mask her hopefulness.

" …Might be interesting. I was gettin' a little bored just makin' regular clothes... Yeah, all right. What king of dress you want?"

Raye stared at the ceiling for a moment before answering, "Something soft..."

"And that shimmers!" Aeris broke in, smiling. "I couldn't help overhearing."

"Hmm, got it. Y'know I got a friend that has the same taste as him. I'll go talk to him. Come see me in a little while."

With that, he stumbled out of the bar. Raye smiled wide and looked at Cloud, who was still brooding.

"Cloud, you're going to get a dress! Aren't you happy?" she teased.

He shot her a warning look, and she instantly fell silent.

"Hey, Raye, do you have a coupon for the pharmacy? There's a crowd outside the bathroom... Someone has some problems in there, and the manager is asking for someone to help him," Aeris told Raye.

"Sure, I'll be right back."

She left the bar, went to the pharmacy, and quickly returned. She walked to the back and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Excuse me?"

"What?" came an unhappy voice from the other side of the door.

"I have some medicine... If you'd like it..."

The door opened a crack and Raye handed the small bottle to the man. Within minutes he came out, seeming better.

"Thank you very much. Here, take this," he said and handed her a clear bottle labeled 'Sexy Cologne'.

He left the bar immediately, and a different man who had been holding his privates for some time, ran in.

"Here, Cloud," Raye said as she placed the bottle in his hands. "You might need this."

He glared at her once more, but pocketed the bottle.

"Let's go check on the dressmaker now."

They left the bar and walked back down the narrow streets to the clothing shop. As they walked in, the now sober dressmaker greeted them and threw a soft purple dress at them. Cloud caught it and stared at the fabric in his hands.

"It's ready. Go try it on," he said gruffly.

Cloud went to the dressing room in the back and closed the curtain.

"How……do you put this on?"

He revealed himself in a few minutes, and both Raye and Aeris burst into peals of laughter. Cloud's glares couldn't stop their laughter, so he folded his arms and turned away again to brood.

Raye stopped laughing and wiped away a tear before walking over to inspect his face.

"W-What?" he said, looking nervous from her scrutiny.

"I think you need a wig."

"Umm," the dressmaker interrupted. " I thought you might, so I talked to my friend about getting one. You know the gym? You'll find a lot of people there like you. Go and talk to them."

"…'Like you'? What does he mean?" Cloud asked Raye who put on an angelic face.

"Does it matter? Anyway, you got a pretty dress!" Aeris quipped.

He sighed deeply, feeling defeated.

"Take off the dress, Cloud. We have to go get your wig, now," Raye said, busting into laughter again.

---------------------------

The three of them walked to the large gym, and upon entering they felt that something was very strange about the men inside. They were all frighteningly muscular, with long, messy hair. They each were working very hard on some sort of exercise. The largest of the sweaty men approached them as they entered, looking interested.

"You the one…… Who wants to be cute?"

"Cute?" Cloud asked, his jaw dropping.

"Right. And about the wig…" Aeris cut in.

"Yeah, I heard. But it'll cost ya." the muscular man replied as he smiled and motioned for another man to come over. The muscular guy came over, looking excited.

"Urrrrgh! Big Bro!" he yelled and flexed his muscles at the first man, then turned to Cloud who was half his size. "The only way you're gonna get cuter is if you can beat Big Bro!"

"That's right!" a man from across the room added. "So, you've got to compete with us!"

"You're right. Let's do squats." the first man, who was addressed as Big Bro, added.

"All right! We'll beat you out of this gym!" the second man screamed.

"Never mind that. For the wig, we're going to have a squatting contest," Big Bro said.

"Got it," Cloud confirmed.

"Whoever has the most squats after 30 seconds gets the wig."

"I'm not going to lose. Big Bro's wig is MINE!" Cloud's opponent screamed.

"Just be quiet... It's not fair for you to start right away," Big Bro told the man, then turned to Cloud. "So, you want some practice?"

"Don't need to practice."

"Now let's begin the real thing."

"You can do it, Cloud!" Raye and Aeris cheered, then received glares from him.

"Start!"

In thirty seconds, Cloud easily beat the beefy, muscular man in a squatting contest.

"You're really something," Big Bro commented. "Okay, I'm a man of my word, here you are." Cloud received the Blonde Wig.

"Big Bro, I'm so mad, I'm so so so---mad!" the loser yelled. Big Bro punched the muscular guy, sending him flying into a wall.

"Shut up! Don't cry, just because you lost!"

Raye, Aeris, and Cloud left very quickly after receiving the wig. Raye took it from him and inspected it.

"It looks really good. I'm sure you'll be cute with this," she giggled.

"Shut up," he growled, grabbing the wig back.

"I still think something's missing..." Aeris mused.

"Let's look around the stores," Raye suggested.

They had entered almost every store already, but they found a Materia shop in the corner of the Wall Market. The man inside was fat, and laying on a large cushion. He spoke lazily, asking Cloud to find out what the vending machine in the inn sells.

"Why don't _you_ go?" Cloud grumbled.

"I got kicked out for fighting and I'm not allowed back," he said sleepily. "I'll give you something if you do."

He held up a tiara with inset diamonds. Cloud turned to Raye and Aeris who were nodding in unison. He sighed and left to go to the inn, while Raye and Aeris waited at the Materia shop to look at the stock. He returned, looking slightly embarrassed, and handed something hidden to the man. The man looked at it without changing his expression, and handed the tiara and a small plastic card that said 'Honeybee Member's Card' to Cloud with a simple, "Thanks."

As they walked out, Cloud looked at the tiara in his hands.

"What did the vending machine sell?" Raye asked, walking next to him.

"Nothing. Shut up," he snapped, and walked faster. Raye and Aeris shrugged to each other and continued walking after him.

"Where are you going now?" Aeris asked.

"I've gotta do something before I dress up like a girl, or I'll never be the same again..." he muttered.

The girls were confused, but they followed him to the Honeybee inn's entrance.

"Sorry, no women in here," the bouncer said as he took the card from Cloud.

"Just wait out here," Cloud said over his shoulder and went inside.

"That creep! Going into a place like _this_!" Raye complained, blushing.

"Well, we have no choice but to wait outside..." Aeris murmured, looking at the shady men who were returning to hit on them.

-----------------------------------------

(I just had to do this. XD)

Cloud walked into the inn to find it was also decorated with hearts and bright lights on the inside as well. A girl walked up to him, wearing a skimpy bee costume.

"Poo, I uh, mean, Sir… Hurry…This way," she said, looking nervous as she indicated to two rooms.

"I'll take this room," he said, sounding irritated as he pointed to a room labeled 'The Group Room'.

"All right. Now all we have to do is enter the room. You're not going to have a change of heart, are you?" she said, batting her eyes at him.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Cloud growled sounding pissed.

"Oh, don't be angry with me…(_Geez…this one's probably the violent type…_) All right, please, this way."

They entered the room together, and Cloud was almost sick at the pink-covered room.

"Shall we begin? I guess since you chose this room, that would mean you… Hate being lonely?" " Cut the small talk. I don't want to talk right now."

"All right, all right. (_...geez, you're so moody!_) Come on, everyone."

As she said that, muscular gay men entered the room loudly.

"One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! One, two! Yeah!" they yelled in unsion.

Cloud jumped back after being startled from the hoxosexual muscular guys running in at the scene.

"WASSUP!" a man with the nametag 'Mukki' said to Cloud while smiling widely.

"Oh, man… What should I do…? I'm outta here. I've got no time to mess around with you. Outta my way!" Cloud said in angry disbelief.

"… Don't be so embarrassed! Loosen up, bubby! …" Mukki said pantng heavily. "Let's wash off all our sweat and dirt together!"

Mukki and the homosexual muscular guys took Cloud's clothing off.

"Bubby! You're the intimate type, huh! …heave…pant… Wow! Would you look at that!" Mukki said, continuing to pant.

The homosexual muscular guys enter the tub, with Cloud being dragged against his will.

"Isn't bathing great…? It soothes your heart. How is it, bubby? Feels good, huh?"

" ……… I don't feel good. Let me out…" he mumbled, feeling truly sick and sinking deeper and farther away from Mukki into the large tub.

"You'll get used to it. Try counting to ten."

"Ten… Nine…" Cloud began even though he doubted it would help.

"Hey bubby, how old are you?"

"Eight… Twenty one…" he relied, wanting to vomit.

"You're less then half my age. I'm so jealous. So how 'bout it...? Do you wanna join my "Young bubby's" group?"

"……(_What the hell?_)…… Seven... Six... Not to be rude or anything, but could you go do someone else? I feel sick..."

"Well, if that's how you feel…too bad. We have a trip planned at a cabin out in the country," Mukki said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Alright, that's ten. I'm gettin' out," Cloud told Mukki angrily.

"Why don't you stick around and play a bit? Daddy's so lonely…"

Cloud almost vomited at Mukki's sentence, and ran to put his clothes back on.

"Bubby! This is important to me! Here's a memento of our time together!"

Mukki threw something at Cloud, Cloud caught it without looking and quickly ran out. As he left the HoneyBee Inn, he sighed deeply to try and calm his nausea. He looked at the 'momento' Mukki had given him. In his hand were a pair of lace bikini briefs. He held them up in his hands and stared.

"This is SOME underwear… I'm supposed to wear this…? Well, if it's to save Tifa…I guess there's no way around," he said, horrified.

He continued staring as he walked towards where he left the girls.

"Cloud!" Raye shrieked, appalled. "What are you holding?"

He put the briefs in his pocket, and walked away with the two girls.

"What is that? A souvenir?" Raye asked in disgust.

"Don't even ask," he mumbled.

"You look sick..." she said softly.

He didn't reply, only led them back to the clothing store.

"Okay…I'm ready," Cloud sighed.

He returned to the dressing room with all the items he had received. He reappeared in a few minutes, fully dressed.

"Hmm, not bad. This may be a new business for me," the dressmaker said happily.

"Yeah, you're right. Should we try it? Thanks for showing us something new. My father's got his motivation back now. So the dress on the house," his daughter told them.

Cloud walked out of the dressing room in the shimmery purple dress, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Walk more nicely like…this," Aeris showed Cloud to walk with tiny steps.

"…What do you mean 'nicely'?"

Cloud walked and stood with his hands together on his lap.

"Oh you're so cute, Miss Cloud," Raye teased. "Let me fix your wig."

She walked over to him and began braiding the blonde wig into two pigtails. At the end of each braid, she added a lavender ribbon and smiled.

"Your hair is still spiky," she commented, stepping back to look at him with a smile.

He shrugged and stared at the floor. She took him by the hand and sat him down to do his makeup (also against his will), while Aeris picked out a dress for herself.

"How do I look?" Aeris asked, stepping out of the dressing room in a red dress. Raye turned from Cloud and told Aeris she looked great.

"Okay. I'm all done, Miss Cloud," Raye giggled.

"Would you like a dress?" the dressmaker asked Raye.

"No, thanks. You don't have anything my style," she indicated to her belts and torn clothes.

"Thank you for everything!" Aeris said as the three of them left the store and started toward the Don's mansion.

--------------------------------

"I'm back!" Raye said cheerfully to the man in front of the Don's mansion

"Damn! Your friends are hot, too! Come in, come in!"

He let them through the door, where they met a second man.

"Hey, ladies. I'll go and let the Don know you're here. Wait here. Don't go wandering around…" he said.

"Now's our chance. Let's find Tifa," Aeris said. They looked around and saw a door immediately in front of them, leading downstairs to the basement. At the end of the long stone steps, they found Tifa, all dressed up.

"Tifa!" Raye yelled as she saw her. "You're alright."

"Who are they?" Tifa asked while looking at Aeris and 'Miss' Cloud.

"Tifa? Nice to meet you. I'm Aeris. Cloud's told me a lot about you."

"Hey you're the one with Cloud in the park…," she said in realization.

"Right, with Cloud."

"Oh……"

"Don't worry," Aeris assured her. " We just met. It's nothing."

"What do you mean, 'Don't worry'…about what? No, don't misunderstand. Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more."

_They like him..._ Raye thought to herself.

"Poor Cloud having to stand here and listen to both of us call him nothing. Right, Cloud?" Aeris turned to look at the 'girl' left standing in the purple dress and pigtails.

"Cloud?" Tifa took a closer look at him. "Why are you dressed like that? And what are you doing here? Forget that, what happened to you and Raye after the fall? Are you hurt?"

"Hey, give me a chance to answer," he said none-too-happily. "I'm dressed like this……because there was no other way to get in here. I'm all right. Aerith helped me out. Tifa, explain. What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Yeah, ummm……," she stared at the floor, looking a little guilty.

"Ahem! We'll just plug our ears," Aeris interrupted, and pulled Raye farther away from them so they could talk a little more privately.

"I'm glad you're OK," Tifa smiled.

"Thanks. What happened?"

"When we got back from the Number 5 reactor, there was this weird man. So Barret caught him and squeezed some information out of him."

"That's when the Don's name popped up?"

"Right, Don Corneo," she confirmed with a nod. " Barret told me to leave the lech alone... But something's been bothering me."

"I see. So you wanted to get the story straight from Corneo's mouth."

"So I made it here, but now I'm in a bind. Corneo is looking for a bride. Everyday, he gets some girls, chooses one of them, and then……and, well… Anyway, I have to be the girl…or I'm out for tonight," she said, embarrassed.

"Sorry…but I overheard," Aeris interrupted again. "If you know the three girls, there's no problem, right?"

"No, Aeris! I can't have you get involved."

Aerith: Oh? So it's all right for Tifa and Raye to be in danger?" she sneered.

"Wait, what? I don't want to-" Raye began but was cut off.

"No, I don't want either in…"

"Is it all right?" Tifa asked Aeris while ignoring Cloud.

"I grew up in the slums… I'm used to danger. Do you trust me?"

"Yes. Thanks, Miss Aeris."

"Call me Aeris," she replied sweetly.

Cloud sighed in defeat and Raye patted his shoulder.

"It's not our day today, is it?"

"Hey! It's time, ladies. The Don is waiting! I told you not to wander around… I tell ya, women nowadays… Hurry up, will ya!" was a man's voice fro the top of the stairs.

"I probably don't need to ask but the other girl is…… Me……right?" Cloud grumbled, already knowing the answer.

"You're right, there was no need…" Tifa began, and Aeris finished, "…to ask.."

The four of them were led by some scary looking men in suits up the stone steps, and up another flight of stairs to a room greatly furnished in Chinese-style furniture. A small, stubby man with a bright yellow Mohawk and many rings on his fingers came from a door in the back. His face looked as though it was deflated, with many wrinkles, and fat lines. Raye's stomach turned when she saw the man, and she thought she would be sick.

"All right, ladies! Line up in front of the Don!"

Unwillingly, they stood next to each other in front of the unattractive man.

"Hmmm! Good, splendid! Now, let's see…which girl should I choose? Hmm-- hmm---! This one? Or this one?" the Don said piggishly, as he walked up and down the line, inspecting each of them. Corneo started to look at Cloud, but Cloud turned his face away from Corneo.

" Woo--hoo, so many pretty girls!"

He continued down the line, looking at Aeris and Tifa with a large grin on his ugly face.

"So difficult, so difficult..."

Finally, he reached Raye, who tried her best not to tremble, so she stared at the floor and folded her hands on her thighs. He stopped and inspected her, smiling again at her thick black choker, shorts-skirt, and the belts around her waist. He walked back to the middle of the line and put one hand in the air.

"I've made up my mind! My choice for tonight is……this girl here!" he pointed to Raye with an excited grin.

"Wha-what!" she stepped back, horrified. "No- I mean, I cant!"

"Woo-hoo! I love chickies who play hard-to-get! Yeowza!" he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. He was too strong for Raye to pull away so all she could do was give Tifa, Aeris, and Cloud a pleading glance as she disappeared behind another door with the Don.

"You can have the other ones!" Corneo yelled to the men before he left.

"Yes, sir! Thank you sir!" they said in unison before taking them to another room.

---------------------------------

Corneo and Raye reached his room in a hurry, she guessed that he was already excited. It was dark and small, except for some neon lights and brightly colored lava lamps. In the center of the tiny room was a large four-poster bed. As soon as he released her hand, she moved to the farthest corner of the room as he lay on his stomach on the bed.

"Ahh, we're finally alone… All right, pussycat… Come to daddy!" he said, unable to contain himself. "You're so cute, I never get tired of looking at you."

_That's not necessarily a good thing,_ she thought, pressing herself against the wall.

"Do you…like me, too?"

_Wait, we're supposed to get some information from his guy..._

"Uh, sure."

"You don't like me... There…there isn't someone else, is there?" his smile had faded into serious irritation.

"Yes, his name's...Cloud.…" she said nervously, thinking of the first name that came to mind.

"No way!" he exclaimed, unhappy. "It doesn't matter. You're mine for tonight."

He reached out and touched one of her belts, trying to unbuckle it.

"Come on, don't be shy..."

"I-I'm warning you! Don't touch me!" she cast a Fire2 with her eyes closed and missed, sending it into a wall.

"You! Thats it! Somebody get in here NOW!"

"Unfortunately, no one'll be comin' to help," came Tifa's voice from nowhere.

The door burst open with Cloud (in normal clothes) on the other side, rushing to help.

"Cloud!" he smiled, thankful that he'd come to help her.

"THIS is Cloud!" the Don yelled.

Tifa and Aeris with their normal appearances appeared at the scene after Cloud.

"You're the ones from before! Wh…what the hell's going on?" Corneo yelled in confusion.

"Shut up, we're asking the questions now… What did your assistants find out about the group AVALANCHE? Talk! If you don't tell us…," she warned.

Cloud lifted his left foot onto the bed and leaned on his knee saying, "…I'll chop them off."

"No! Not that! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"So…talk," Raye grumbled, holding her waist, feeling dirty.

"… I made 'em find out where the man with the gun-arm was. But that's what I was ordered to do."

" By who?" Tifa pressed.

"No--! If I told you that, I'd be killed!"

"Talk! If you don't tell us…"

Aeris repeated Cloud's motion and said, "…I'll rip them off."

"Waaaaaaaaaaah--! It was Heidegger of Shinra! Heidegger, the head of Public Safety Maintenance."

"The head of Public Safety Maintenance?" Cloud repeated while in shock.

"Did you say the Shinra? What are they up to? Talk!" Tifa repeated Cloud and Aeris's motion and continued, " If you don't tell us… I'll smash them."

"…You're serious, aren't you…," Corneo said, rubbing his hands together in anxiety. "…oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. …I'm not fooling around here either, you know. Shinra's trying to crush a small rebel group called AVALANCHE, and want to infiltrate their hideout. And they're really going to crush them…literally, by breaking the support holding up the plate above them."

"Break the support?" Raye asked, the feeling of dread returning.

"You know what's going to happen? The plate'll go PING and everything's gonna go BAMMM! I heard their hideout's in the Sector 7 Slums... I'm just glad it's not here in Sector 6."

"They're going to wipe out the Sector 7 Slums? Cloud, will you come with me to Sector 7?" Tifa asked.

"Of course, Tifa."

"Just a second! How do you think scum like me feels when they babble on about the truth?" Corneo said, a smile playing bout his lips.

"They're sure they'll win?" Cloud answered lamely.

"Woo-hoo! Right!"

He pulled a switch next to his bed and the floor underneath them caved in. Raye felt an arm around her as they all fell into the dark pit of the mansion.

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Holy pickles, that was eighteen pages long. I only wrote half of it. XD Sorry for the cliffy, but its necessary here. Please R&R!


	8. Saving Aeris

1Please read my notes!

I humbly apologize for leaving you on cliffhanger. It was very evil of me, but that chapter was super-long.

Also: The game is three disks long. WOW. I will have to "fast forward" and skip some details about what happens. I'll probably do a town in a chapter, unless something very long hapens there. Don't hate me, please.

I promised pockyfreakincrazyforbois that I'd add some more fighting in. Rebellious asked for relationship-building. I _am_ trying to build on Cloud and Raye's relationship... but its difficult with so much going on in the story. Ill try soon. Expect some bonding at Kalm.

Any other suggestions are appreciated, of course. More reviews for me, please? Tell your friends!

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After they fell, Raye felt someone grab her hand in the darkness and pull her close. Almost instantly, they made their landing in the ankle-deep water of a smelly sewer. Raye's landing was slightly better, because Cloud had broken her fall. He grunted loudly as he fell onto his back, and again when Raye landed on top of him.

"I'm sorry, Cloud!" she exclaimed, then scrambled off him to help him up. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," he winced and looked over to Aeris and Tifa, who were collecting themselves after the fall. "Are you two alright?"

Aeris nodded and rubbed her back while Tifa tried unsuccessfully to get some sewer slime off her body answering, "This is terrible."

Raye gently helped Cloud stand up. "Did you land on your back?"

"Yeah," he moved out of her grasp and shook his head. "Hey, Raye, did that guy hurt you back there?"

"Who? Corneo?" she asked in faint surprise.

"Yeah."

"No, I'm fine," she smiled happily. "Thanks." Strangely, he wouldn't look at her again. Raye was confused, but she didn't show it. She looked around at the small section of the sewer they were occupying. The water was ankle-deep, green, and smelled terribly. Around them were small walls, about -high, and made of bricks. To their left and around a corner was a small metal ladder that led to the top of the brick wall, hopefully leading to a exit.

"Well, the worst is over," Aeris said cheerfully. As she said that, there was loud rumbling and the ground shook slightly.

"Maybe not...," Aeris added with fear.

A red and brown monster-like creature stumbled from the top of the brick wall into the bottom of the sewer with a loud splash. It had a long tail and hooves for feet. Broken chains were around its wrists and its snout was full of pointy teeth. Its roar was deafening as the sound echoed in the small sewer-room. Cloud instantly drew his buster sword and stepped in front of the girls. He jumped and slashed at the creature, dismembering its right arm.

"I need some help!" he yelled.

"My turn!" Tifa returned. She stepped up next, after putting on her fighting gloves, and punched the monster, leaving it whining in pain and holding its gut protectively.

The monster made a wide swipe at all them with its claw, causing a great amount of damage.

"I can help you guys! I have my Limit Break!" Aeris said, bringing her staff close to her. Her hands glowed and there was visible winds surrounding her, that moved to Raye, Aeris, and Tifa and restored their health.

"Thanks, Aeris!" Raye yelled, then began to cast magic. She bowed her head and folded her hands, thrust them to the ceiling, and then towards the creature as she cast Bolt.

_I've gotta be able to beat this thing!_

And she did, putting all her energy into the attack and destroyed the monster.

"Yes!" She jumped and punched the air in happiness, receiving another level up. She looked to her other victorious team members, who were also doing their own sort of "victory dance". Cloud swung his sword around and placed it into the sheath on his back, Tifa stretched her fingers and cracked her knuckles, and Aeris put a hand to her chest and sighed deeply.

"Great job, Raye!" Tifa yelled as Raye smiled widely.

"I guess I don't need you to help me, Cloud," she laughed at him.

He folded his arm and snorted, "Yeah, right. We'll see who's going to be dying next time, wont we?"

She growled at punched his arm as hard as she could.

"That almost hurt."

With her anger rising she began flailing at an attempt to hurt him. Tifa rushed over and held her back.

"Save your energy, Raye," she said, laughing nervously. "You're going to need it later."

"He makes me so mad!" she growled as she watched Cloud and Aeris's retreating forms.

"Come on, Raye. We have to follow them. There should be an exit around the corner."

All four of them reached the top of the metal ladder and stared down at a large, gaping hole in the ground that seemed to go on forever in the darkness.

"Are we going in there?" Raye asked.

"Unless you're afraid. Then you can stay here," Cloud responded unemotionally.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"Please, lets not fight!" Aeris said as she laughed nervously and stepped between them. Cloud didn't answer her. He went on to go down the opening. Aeris sighed and went down after him with care.

"I could just kill him," she muttered under her breath. "He's such a... Arrgh!"

She made motion with her hands as if she was wringing someone's neck.

"Just go," Tifa said. "We have to get to Sector 7 soon, remember?"

"Right, sorry," Raye apologized and spun on the heel of her boot to face the opening again, but she put her foot on her long skirt and fell backwards. She snapped her eyes shut to brace for impact, but it never came. Instead, she was caught by Cloud. She opened her eyes and stared at his face is surprise.

"What were you saying before?"

She flushed a deep red and he let her down with care. Tifa followed soon after, landing easily on her feet.

"There's a ladder over here," Aeris said from the opposite end of the room. Surely enough, she began climbing a metal ladder attached to the brick wall. In silence, they followed her and emerged into the daylight. Cloud grabbed Raye's hand and pulled her up. The air seemed humid and heavy, after the cool sewer air they had just left. When she had settled on her feet, Raye noticed that they were surrounded by many trains, all broken, rusting, and derailed. Cloud turned to Aeris, looking guilty.

"Aeris, I got you mixed up in all of this..."

"Don't tell me to go home," she said, looking stubborn.

"If we just get past the trains, then we can figure it out when we get out of here," Tifa interrupted quickly.

"I think we can go this way," Raye called from the top of a train that had fallen on its side. She continued down along the train, she reached a twisted, metal support beam that collapsed over the train she was on and the adjacent train to, and walked over it. She stopped and looked behind her to see if Tifa, Aeris, and Cloud were catching up. She turned and faced them, waiting on the next broken train. A feeling on dizziness came over her and she put a hand on her forehead, trying to steady herself.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Raye felt a soft hand on her elbow and opened her eyes. Aeris was staring at her, and so were Cloud and Tifa.

"Its just my head. I'll be fine. We have to go," she said quickly and jumped off the edge of the train onto the concrete.

_What was that? I don't feel...my head...hurts._

She continued walking ahead of them to avoid questions. They walked into another area of the train graveyard where more trains were stacked up on each other.

Raye looked at all the rusty trains that blocked her path.

"Why'd you stop?" she heard Cloud ask from behind her.

"There's no way to go through," she pointed out. There was one train left on the rail and one directly in front of that one. Cloud walked forward, into the only train on its tracks, and it began to move forward. It went very slowly and only traveled a few feet, but it pushed the train in front of it and freed space behind it.

"Great idea, Cloud!" Aeris cheered. He left the train and motioned for them to follow. They ran around the end of the train and exited the only way they could, to the left of the wreckage. They went past a train porter who was waiting next to a relatively clean, functional train on working tracks. In a matter of minutes, they arrived at the beginning of Sector 7 where the support pillar stood. There was a cross-wire gate and people surrounding it.

"We made it! The pillar's standing!" Tifa yelled.

"What's that noise?" Raye asked.

"...gunfire?" Aeris whispered.

They looked up above them at the metal stairs next to the thick pillar, where they saw flashes and gunshots. A figure flew off the stairs and landed near them.

"Wedge!" they yelled in unison.

They all ran to his side and Tifa knelt beside him.

"Wedge," Raye softly called with worried tears forming. "Please, wake up."

"Wedge, are you alright?" Cloud said from the other side of the unmoving man.

Wedge slowly turned his head to look at Cloud. "You remembered my name... Mr..Cool...Ex-SOLDIER..."

Clouds fist shook in anger as he came to the realization that Wedge wouldn't stay alive very long. Wedge slowly closed his eyes and whispered, "Barret's up top...Help him.."

"I'm going up!" Cloud announced, still shaking with anger.

"Me, too," Raye added, also sounding determined.

"Aeris, you look after Wedge," Cloud ordered, and Aeris nodded.

"Aeris," Tifa interrupted. "I have a bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighborhood. There's a little girl named Marlene there."

"Don't worry," Aeris assured her. "I'll keep her safe."

She left, going toward the main part of Sector 7. Tifa warned the gathered people of the danger, and Raye followed Cloud, who had already started up the stairs. She caught up to him for he was only a few flights of stairs ahead of her. He had stopped to talk to Biggs, who was bleeding and leaned over the railing. Raye gasped and covered her mouth at the sight. He smiled weakly at them.

"So... Cloud...you don't care...what happens to... the planet?" Biggs said in a barely audible voice.

"You're wounded," Cloud began.

"I'll take you down to another sector. You'll be fine," Raye said with a quivering voice.

"Thanks, guys... its too late... don't worry 'bout me... Barret needs you. Go help him..." he finished weakly, and leaned over the railing once more, unmoving. Cloud said nothing, but continued up the stairs in a hurry. Tears flowed from Raye's eyes onto the cold metal beneath her boots. She gently put an arm on Bigg's back, and kissed his forehead while wishing him a restful slumber, before continuing after Cloud. When she reached him, he had stopped again. This time it was for Jessie, who was sitting in the corner of the stairs, clutching her stomach.

"Hey, guys... I'm glad I could talk...to you...one last time," she managed with a smile.

"Please, Jessie," Raye whispered.

"Don't say 'last," Cloud muttered.

She shook her head, "That's...alright... Because of our actions...many...people died. This... is probably... our punishment..."

Then she was quiet, and Cloud ran up the stairs once more. Raye didnt go after him immediately. She reached into her obi and removed the ID card that was given to her. She gently placed it in her hands, kissed her forehead, and went on. Within minutes, she and Cloud reached the top with Tifa right behind them. The metal stairs connected to a large metal 'circle in the sky' that surrounded the support beam. Barret was seen immediately, shooting at the helicopters in the sky with his gun-arm.

"Barret!"

He turned, looking tired.

"Yo! Be careful! They're attacking from the helicopter!"

"Here they come!"

A large silver helicopter came into view and a man jumped from it. As he stood, Raye recognized him as the man she saw at the church where she and Cloud met Aeris. He ran to the support, where a control panel was located.

"You're too late," he said with a sly grin. "Once I push this button..."

Without finishing, he pressed said button and laughed. "That's all folks! Mission accomplished!"

"Cloud, we have to disarm it!" Tifa yelled.

"Nuh-uh-uh," he said, grinning widely as he leaned a metallic rod onto his shoulder. "Cant have you do that. No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks..."

Raye blinked a few times and pointed at him, "You're Reno, right?"

The red-haired man almost fell backwards at her sentence, "No kidding its me! Who'd you think I'd be talking about?"

Thus, their battle with Reno of the Turks began.

"You just annoy me," he said as he pointed his rod at Raye and a light came forth from it. It reached her and encased her in a pyramid. "Try breaking through that."

"I've got ya," Barret yelled on his turn, and shot at the pyramid and shattered it into many pieces.

"My turn," Tifa said, jumping towards Reno. She landed a punch on his jaw and he reeled backwards in pain.

"Damn," he spat blood from his mouth onto the floor.

"Now, you're mine," Raye smiled and cast a vengeful Fire3 upon him.

"Bitch!" he yelled in pain.

His rod crackled with blue electricity as he came toward her and hit her side with it. As he retreated to his spot in front of them again, Raye fell to her knees and coughed blood onto the floor. Cloud took his turn next, and harshly attacked Reno with his blade. He took a deep cut to her shoulder before looking at his watch.

"Its time," he said before running away from them and jumping over the metal railing. Tifa instantly went to the panel to disarm the bomb. Cloud took Raye's hand and placed her arm over his shoulders to support her.

"Are you going to be okay?"

She closed her eyes with a small nod.

"Cloud, I don't know how to stop this!" Tifa yelled.

"Its not a normal time bomb. We have to get out of here."

Another helicopter appeared before them, this time containing a man with long black hair that was slicked back and a pointed face. Next to him was Aeris, trying to look brave.

"That's right," he said. "You'll have a hard time disarming that one. It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it."

"Please, stop it!" Aeris called.

The man laughed, very unkindly, "Only a Shinra Executive can set up or disarm the Emergency Plate Release System."

Barret aimed at the helicopter and the man interrupted him, "I wouldn't try that...You might injure our special guest."

"What are you going to do with Aeris?" Cloud yelled from the ground.

"I haven't decided. Our orders were to find and catch the last remaining Ancient," he said, looking over at the girl next to him. "Its taken us a long time, but now I can finally report to the President."

Aeris leaned forward and yelled, "Tifa, don't worry! She's alright!"

The man looked angry, and slapped her.

"Hurry and get out!" Aeris continued, regardless.

Once again, the man laughed, "Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you can escape in time?"

Above them, there was a small explosion and bits of Plate began to fall, signaling the beginning of te destruction of Sector 7. The man continued laughing as the helicopter left them stranded.

"Once that Plate starts coming down, it'll be too late! We gotta hurry!" Tifa yelled as she jumped into the metal railing after Barret.

"Yo, we can use this wire to get out!" Barret yelled as he grabbed a thick wire that hung from a part of the Plate that hadn't yet collapsed. He put his feet onto one side of the wide bottom, Tifa on the other side, and Cloud on his shoulders, holding onto Raye. As they began their swing, there was a larger explosion and the Plate began to truly collapse. They went at a great speed, getting away from the danger in time. They landed in Sector 6, in the playground that they were in before, only it was even worse-looking than before. There were twisted metal pieces on everything, dust and debris were everywhere. They collected themselves painfully from the landing.

"I'm fine," Raye whispered softly as she refused Cloud's help. She got up and dusted off some of the Plate bits. Barret walked to the end of the park and stared at the entrance to Sector 7, which was completely blocked with metal and concrete.

"Marlene! Marlene!" he screamed towards the metal. Biggs! Wedge! Jessie!"

He began to dig though the rubble and shoot at it, until Tifa, Cloud and Raye yelled for him to stop. He did, and slumped down onto the floor.

"Marlene..."

"Marlene is safe," Tifa said while patting his arm comfortingly. He looked up at her in disbelief. The large, black man had tears in his eyes as he smiled and stood, saying, "Really?"

"Before she left, Aeris said 'She's alright'. I think she was talking about Marlene."

"But," Raye whispered. "Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge..."

"All three of them were in that pillar," Cloud finished.

Raye stared at the sky and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I've only known them for a little while... But it makes me feel so... awful."

"I don't wanna think of them as dead! We... all of us fought together..."

"... and all the other people in Sector 7...They killed all those people... just to get AVALANCHE...," Raye whispered.

"...Are you saying its our fault? Because AVALANCHE was here? Innocent people lost their lives because of us?"

"Hell no!" Barret interrupted. "It's the damn Shinra! They're evil and destroyin' our planet just to...build their power and line their own damn pockets with gold! Our fight ain't never gonna be over until we get rid of them!"

Raye noticed Cloud, who was next to her, turn around and start to leave.

"Yo! Where's he think he's goin'?"

"Aeris," Raye mumbled.

"Oh yeah. That girl. What's up with her?"

"She's the one I left Marlene with," was Tifa's reply. "We have to go help her."

"There ain't no turning back now," Barret said.

The three of them took one last look at Sector 7 gates before running after Cloud.

-----------------------------

"Cloud!"

They caught up to him as he almost reached the main area of Sector 6. He stopped and faced them, looking very serious.

"Take me to Marlene," Barret ordered, equally serious.

"Aren't you going after Aeris?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah. But before that, there's something I want to know. Its about the Ancients."

He looked up at the sky thoughtfully before hold his head as though he just received a massive headache. He fell to his knees, still holding his head.

"Cloud, get up," Raye took his arm and tried to help him.

"Sephiroth...?" he murmured.

"Pull it together, man!" Barret yelled at him, sounding annoyed.

"Come on," Raye said as Cloud got to his feet. "We should rest a little at Aeris's house."

They continued through the panicking slum in silence. People were running around, worried that their homes or stores would be destroyed. Their group took no notice as the made it to the large wooden house in the corner of the slums. Raye walked to the wooden door and knocked on it. Seconds later, Elmyra appeared with a worried expression. Silently, she stepped aside to let them in.

"Cloud, wasn't it?" she asked softly as she closed the door behind them. "Its about Aeris, right?

"Sorry," he said, looking at the floor. "The Shinra have her."

"I know. They took her from here. That's what she wanted."

"Why are the Shinra after her?" Raye whispered.

"She's the last Ancient, the sole survivor."

"You aren't her mother?"

Elmyra shook her head and stared out a window thoughtfully.

"Not her real mother. It was fifteen years ago, during the war. My huband was sent out to the front. One day, I went to the station because I got a letter saying he was coming home on leave.

But, my husband never came back. I went to the station everyday. One day I saw a woman lying on the ground with Aeris crying over her. You see this thing a lot during the war. Her last words were "Please take Aeris somewhere safe". My husband never came back, and I had no child, so I took her home with me."

Elmyra stopped looking out the window and turned her attention back to her guests.

"We became close very quickly. She loved to talk, and she would talk to me about anything. She told me she escaped from some kind of research laboratory... and many other things. She said that her mother had already returned to the Planet, so she wasn't lonely."

"What do you mean 'returned to the Planet'?" Raye interrupted.

"I didnt know what she meant. I asked if she meant a star in the sky, but she said it was this Planet. She was a mysterious child in many ways. She once told me that someone close to me had died, but I shouldn't be sad. I didn't believe her until I received a letter a few days later saying that my husband died. A lot happened, and we were happy until the Shinra came to our door one day. They told her that her real mother was an 'Ancient'. That's when I found out. She denied it, but I knew about her powers.

"Its amazing how she's avoided them all these years," Cloud mused.

"They need her, so I'm sure they wont hurt her,"Raye announced.

"But how did they get her now?" Tifa asked.

"She exchanged her freedom for a little girl's safety."

"Marlene?" Barret exclaimed. "She was caught because of Marlene? I'm so sorry, Marlene's my daughter..."

"You're her father?" Elmyra said in disbelief. "How in the world could you ever leave a child alone like that?"

"Please don't start with that. I'm always thinkin' about what might happen... but you gotta understand somethin'... I don't got any answers. I wanna be with Marlene... But I gotta fight. 'Cause if I don't... the Planet's gonna die. But I'm always thinkin' of Marlene. I wanna be with her. See? I'm going in circles now," Barret said getting annoyed further.

Raye held her head in pain from all the yelling and the dizziness came over her. She leaned her forehead on Cloud's shoulder and grumbled.

"Why don't you go upstairs and see her?" she said to Barret before turning to Cloud, Tifa, and Raye. "You're welcome to rest a little too."

Barret hurried upstairs and Cloud followed, helping Raye and leaving Tifa to speak with Elmyra.

Barret was on the second floor in a heartbeat, holding his daughter close and kissing her in joy.

"I'm so glad..."

"Daddy! You're whiskers hurt!" she laughed. Cloud walked into the room and assisted her onto the bed. Immediately, she closed her eyes and rested.

"Cloud, you're going after Aeris, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm coming with you," Barret said, his mind already made up. "She's done so much for me..."

"Guess what? Guess what!" Marlene said, jumping with excitement. "Aeris asked me lots of questions about you, Cloud! I bet she likes you!"

Cloud shrugged and the little girl sighed, "Stupid!"

Barret said goodbye to his daughter, and he and Cloud left Raye and Marlene in the room. Once alone, Marlene began promptly poking Raye awake.

"Hmm...? Oh, hello..."

"They've left," Marlene said, smiling.

"So, you're talking to me now?" Raye muttered, sleepily.

Marlene nodded and smiled. "Don't you think you should get going to help Miss Aeris?"

Raye sat up straight and scrambled to get up. "You're right, Marlene! Bye!"

She said goodbye to Marlene and Elmyra as she ran out and found them making their way through Sector 6.

"Hey! Wait!"

They stopped and let her catch up.

"You were going to leave me!" she accused, flushing slightly.

"Its going to be really dangerous. We're headed into the Shinra Building, and you don't look well enough to fight," Cloud answered while shaking his head.

"I don't care," she growled. "I'm going to help Aeris!"

"We don't have time to argue," Barret said. "Just bring the princess along."

"How do we get to the Shinra Building?" raye asked as they resumed walking.

"The Wall Market.," Tifa answered.

--------------------------------

They had walked to the end of the Wall Market, past the Don's mansion, to a dark corner of the market where little kids were staring at a large wall with a thick wire hanging from it. After some deliberation, thy decided that it would be the only way get to the top of the plate.

"Raye, you go first," Cloud said.

"Why?"

"If you fall, we'll be behind you to catch you," he said, laughing.

"Ha ha," she mocked. She reached behind her and gathered the long part of her shredded skirt and tied it around her so it wouldn't get in the way of whoever would be climbing below her. Cloud gave her a leg-up and they all began climbing one by one.

As they continued, they found lights coming from over the top of the wall where bustling city life could be seen. They continued farther until they reached a mass of different junk that made a path to the top. They made their way through the maze and made it to the top of the plate, directly in front of a large, towering building.

"I've never seen a building this huge," Raye said in awe as they stood before it. "Are we going right in or sneaking in?"

"Come on. Let's bust in," Cloud said, running toward the entrance.

"That's more like it!" Barret yelled as they ran after him. The inside of the building was equally amazing, and business-like.

"Excuse me! If you don't have an appointment..." a tired-looking receptionist sighed.

"I don't need no appointment! This is an emergency! Git outta the way!" Barret retorted.

"Intruders! Seize them!" Shinra security guards closed in on them and started a fight.

There were three uniformed men with guns that opposed them.

"I'm so sick of fighting!" Raye yelled angrily as she cast a strong Bolt on the man closest to her.

"We have to get through them to get to Aeris!" Cloud yelled back as he slashed at another.

Before the fight was over, the guards ran away in fear. They smiled at their luck and walked to the opposite end of the lobby where there were two elevators. They walked inside and pressed the button for floor 59. They waited quietly as the elevator rose smoothly. Around the fortieth floor, a red light began flashing and a siren went off.

"What the?" Barret yelled. "Damn, they know we're here!"

"Cloud, just open the doors!" Raye said, getting scared.

Luckily, they reached the 59th floor and stepped out into the large room, which was silent. They looked around and noticed another pair of elevators and began walking toward them.

"I've heard that you need a card to get to any floor above 60," Tifa said.

Just as she spoke, more security guards approached, yelling for them to stop. Another fight was then started.

"Oh no, I'm out of magic!" Raye yelled.

"Use physical attacks!" Tifa returned as she knocked a man out with a right hook.

"I... I cant," she muttered.

Before her turn came, all the guards were knocked out and on the floor.

"I've never hit anyone, really."

"Don't worry. Just remember, these are bad guys," Tifa assured her.

"Right..."

Cloud bent down and picked up a small white card with a bold '60' printed on it.

"Looks like we have the key to the sixtieth floor."

They went up the nearest stairs and used the card to leave the stairwell. Once out of the stairwell, they came upon a large, open room with trees and picnic tables.

"I didn't see this one coming..." Raye said in confusion.

Employees sat at the tables pleasantly chatting and eating. A woman in a business suit approached them, looking at them a little strangely.

"Are you the repair crew?"

"Yeah..." Cloud lied, hoping it would lead somewhere.

"Here, you'll need this." She handed him a keycard with '62' printed on it and walked away.

"That was easy..." he said, a little surprised.

"Back to the stairs..." Raye muttered.

They went back into the stairwell and went to the only other floor they had access to. The floor was separated into rooms, all locked except for one. There was a security guard outside the door that told them that the mayor would ask for a password and whatnot before letting them have access to other floors. The security guard insisted that he be bribed for the password. Unhappily, Cloud gave up two thousand gil and was given the password, "best".

Raye walked in, spoke to a balding man, and left with a card to the 65th floor. They were all getting annoyed at how long it was taking, but they had no choice but to take it as they could. In the stairwell of the next floor was a chest that they discovered was locked. They walked out into the 65th floor, which was just as gray and boring as the other floors. In the center of the floor was a large room with the words 'Midgar' on the plate outside. They walked in to the room and found a replica of Midgar that was missing pieces. They spilt up, looking for the pieces to rebuild it. With every piece that they restored, a new chest opened. When the replica was completed, the chest in the stairwell opened and they picked up a keycard to the 66th floor.

"Argh... Are we ever going to get to Aeris?" Raye grumbled as they walked up the stairs.

"I hope so. I'm gettin' tired of this," Barret answered, also sounding unhappy.

They stepped out into the 66th floor to find that there were more people around. As they passed through them, unnoticed, they heard complains about whispers in the bathroom and how the conference room smells.

"Come on," Cloud said as he led them all to the bathroom.

"Why are we here?" Raye asked as they entered the empty bathroom. Cloud locked the door behind them and opened one of the stalls and looked up.

"The vent," he said pointing up. She looked, and surely enough, there was a vent pointed towards the large conference room they had passed.

"Someone has to go in there."

"Raye's tiny," Tifa pointed out.

"Then its decided," Cloud said as Raye made face.

"Thanks a lot," Raye glared at Tifa. Cloud helped her up onto his shoulders and stood on the toilet to help her into the vent. She made it in, complaining.

"Just make sure they don't know you're there!" she heard Cloud say from the bathroom.

She moved on until she found an open vent facing down directly over a large table where many people were sitting. At the head of the table, Raye recognized president Shinra. The rest of the people, she had never seen before. A man with slicked black hair and a goatee stood up and addressed the president.

"We have the damage estimates for Sector 7. Considering the factories we already set up and all the investments, the damage is estimated at ten billion gil. The estimated cost t rebuild is-"

"We're not rebuilding, Reeve" the President interrupted the man. "We're leaving Sector 7 as it is and restoring the Neo-Midgar plan."

"... and the ancients?" Reeve pressed.

"The Promised Land will soon be ours. I want you to raise the Mako rates 15 in every area."

A small and stout, balding, grey-haired man jumped for joy at the sentence.

"Rate hike! Rate hike! Tra, la, la! Please include our Space Program in the budget!" he singsonged.

The President remained unmoved and answered, "Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase, Palmer."

The only woman there (who wore too much makeup and a skimpy red dress), smiled evilly as Palmer put his head on the table, moaning.

"Sir," Reeve began. "If you raise the rates, people will begin to lose confidence..."

"It'll be alright," the President responded, very sure of himself. "The ignorant citizens wont lose confidence, they'll trust Shinra Inc. even more."

The man next to Palmer, who was equally fat and had a thick, bushy beard laughed brazenly.

"Ha ha ha! After all, we're the ones who saved Sector 7 from AVALANCHE!"

Raye's anger was rising and she was preparing to scream when a small, hunched over man in a lab coat came into the room. He had long hair tied into a ponytail and thick glasses.

"How's the girl, Hojo?" the President addressed him.

"As a specimen, she's inferior to her mother. I'm still in the process of comparing her to her mother, Ifalna. For now, the difference is 18," his raspy voice said and made Raye's hair stand on end.

"How long will the research take?" the President asked.

Hojo looked up in the air thoughtfully, "Probably 120 years... Its impossible to finish in our lifetime, or the specimen's for that matter... We're thinking of breeding her. Then we could create one that could withstand our research for a long time."

_Eww, that creep! _ Raye thought, wanting to strangle them all.

"What about the Promised Land? Will it hinder our plans?"

"That's what I'm trying to plan. The mother is strong... and yet has her weaknesses..." he mused, then laughed creepily.

"That concludes our meeting," the President said as he and the rest of the members got up to leave. Raye did also, carefully pushing herself backwards through the vent.

"I'm coming down," she called softly.

"I've got you. Come down," Cloud's voice said. He helped her down and she repeated everything she had heard with an angry passion.

"I cant believe them!" she concluded. "Listen, we have to follow that Hojo guy. He's the head of the Science Department, he knows where Aeris is."

They nodded in unison, and left the bathroom. They found him quickly going up the stairs and kept their distance as they followed him. He went to the 67th floor and left the door open. He left the stairs and went to the leftmost area of the floor, where there were many wooden boxes and glass cages. When they arrived, they hid behind a large group of the wooden boxes. Hojo stopped and was looking at the largest of the cages, which held a large cat-like thing that was orange and red, and very ferocious-looking. Another man approached Hojo.

"Is that today's specimen?" the man asked Hojo.

"Yes, we're starting right away. Raise it to the upper level," Hojo ordered coldly. "My precious specimen..."

With that, he and the man left the room and Cloud's group approached the glass.

"Precious specimen?" Tifa asked as she walked right up to the glass and looked at the animal. "Is it going to be used for a biological experiment?"

Cloud, who was father away, looked at a metal case with a window.

"Jenova...?" he read the nameplate.

He peered through the window, then jumped back, surpeised. "Jenova... Spephiroths... so they brought it here..."

Raye, who was confused, looked inside as well and was equally surprised. There was a woman's bust, without a head, and many wires coming from it. Barret looked after her, and was slightly less shocked.

"Where's its $& head? Let's keep moving."

Cloud nodded and they went to the opposite end of the lab, where a saving point was located and an elevator.

"We'd better save," Raye said as she bent down at the point. "I have a bad feeling about what's coming..."

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A little dry, yes. Slight cliffy, yes. Next chapter will be fun-er. On my honor! Please review!


	9. The End Of The Longest Day Of My Life

1I thank thee greatly for thy reviews! But no suggestions...Upcoming fluff! ... soon enough... 

Thank you pockyfreakincrazy4bois and Rebellious for being honest with me, and telling me when its dry and lacking detail. I APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH!

I've been wanting to write fluff so bad... . I had to let some in here... Very slight. Didnt wanna ruin it later.

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They walked into the elevator together, feeling a mix of determination and anxiety. The elevator stopped one floor above them, at a lab room similar to the room they had just left. It was considerably larger, but just as messy with wooden boxes strewn across the floor in every direction. In the center of the room was another glass containment, this time holding Aeris, who was unconscious. As soon as they laid eyes on her they ran to help, startling Hojo.

"Aeris!"

"What do you want?" the hunchback old man yelled.

"We're here to get Aeris," Raye walked over to him and narrowed her eyes.

"Outsiders..." he muttered as he returned her glare.

"Shoulda noticed it earlier, you..." Barret growled dangerously as he aimed at him.

"Are you going to kill me? I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who would operate it? Hmm?" Hojo said, unafraid. "I recommend you think things out logically before making rash moves."

He turned around to look at the control room behind him and yelled to someone inside, "Now, bring in the specimen!"

Feeling a sense of panic, Raye turned to the cage and saw Aeris move. She sat up as the lion-like creature from the room below came up and greeted Aeris with a loud roar. Aeris looked frightened, and the creature leaped at her. She was chased around the cage, while all her friends could do nothing but watch.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cloud yelled at Hojo. "Let them out!"

"I'm lending a hand to an endangered species. Both of them are on the brink of extinction..." he muttered proudly, looking as though he had just justified his actions. "If I don't, both these animals will disappear."

"You sick, old... Aeris is a human being!" Raye yelled at him, furious.

"Barret, can you do something?" Tifa asked him.

Barret nodded and aimed at the cage. He began shooting, but the glass didn't shatter. The cage glowed dangerously from the inside, and the door slid open. From the bright light came the lion-like creature and it pinned Hojo to the ground while growling savagely. His red mane shook as he grabbed a mouthful of Hojo's lab coat and ripped it apart. Aeris stepped out of the cage and smiled at them all.

"Thanks, guys."

Cloud's expression didn't relax as he turned to Hojo, who was struggling with the creature that was toppling him.

"This is no ordinary specimen!" he managed. "This is a very ferocious specimen!"

"Just what you deserve, creep," Raye sneered, having no desire to help him at all.

The orange lion looked over at them and said, "He's rather strong. I'll help you all out."

"It talked!" Raye said in shock.

"I'll talk as much as you want later, Miss."

She couldn't do anything but stare at the orange lion as it sat down before them on its haunches, and looked at them pleasantly.

"Someone take Aeris somewhere safe," Cloud interjected. "Tifa, I'm countin' on you!"

"Right," she nodded. "Meet us at the 66th floor elevator!"

She and Aeris then left toward the elevator. Cloud walked over to the lion and asked, "What's your name?"

"Hojo has named me Red XII. A name that has no meaning to me whatsoever. Call me what you wish.," the tiger answered.

As Red XII finished his sentence, the elevator within the cage moved and something frightening appeared. It couldn't be described in one word because it seemed to be a disgusting mix of many things. It had teeth all over its body that melted into tentacles. It stepped forth from the open cage and attacked.

"Cloud, what am I going to do?" Raye asked him, looking very worried. "I'm out of magic!"

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it."

He, Barret, and Red XII stepped in front of her and fought the monster. Red XII attacked first with his teeth and claws, and the monster took a surprising amount of damage. With a few more attacks from the guys, the monster disappeared.

"Thank you so much, guys," Raye smiled at them and turned to Red XII with a question. "So, um, what are you?"

The orange lion nodded and answered, "An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see. I'm sure you have many questions, but we must get out of here first. I'll lead the way. I believe that the other young miss said the 66th floor."

"Right! Now that we've saved Aeris, ain't no need to be in this buildin'! Lets get the hell outta here!" Barret confimed.

Red XII turned and began walking out the room through another direction. "This way."

They followed, Red XII leading, Barret directly behind him, and Cloud and Raye trailing in the back.

"You don't look well," Cloud said suddenly without looking straight at her.

"I'm fine," and she smiled weakly. She quickened her pace and walked ahead of him to avoid his eyes.

"The elevators are over here," Red XII called from across the floor. "These elevators are very small. Let's split up and take two."

He indicated to two elevators that were side-by-side. As soon as one opened, he walked into it with Barret following.

"We'll see ya," Barret said.

The doors closed and Raye and Cloud were left outside in an awkward silence while waiting for the second elevator. After an eternity, they stepped inside the glass elevator that protruded from the side of the Shinra Building.

"Look at the view," Raye whispered in awe, pressing her hands against the glass. On the other side was a black sky brightly illuminated with all the bright lights of Midgar. Cloud pressed a button on the panel and looked out too, without a word.

"I can't believe so much has happened since I got here," she whispered as she leaned against the glass and closed her eyes. "Cloud..."

"What?"

"I... don't ... my head..." she said, wincing. "It hurts..."

"We'll be out soon."

She nodded quietly and felt the elevator stop. She opened her eyes and looked at Cloud with fear. The doors opened and a very tall, dark, heavy-set bald man in a suit entered their elevator in a calm manner. Cloud stepped in front of the man, wary. The man's eyes were covered with black glasses, hiding his eyes completely.

"Would you press 'up' please?" he said as he pointed towards the ceiling.

"Turks? Must be a trap…," Cloud muttered as he examined the intruder's uniform.

"Cloud, who's there?" she whispered as she stood on her toes and looked over his shoulder. The man that came inside had a perfectly expressionless face as he stared at them. His stare was piercing, even through his sunglasses. Feeling nervous, Raye went back on her heels and hid behind Cloud.

"Please... Lets just make it out of here..."

"It must have been a real thrill for you… Did you enjoy it?" A voice said from outside the elevator. Another man stepped inside and Cloud recognized him as the man who had kidnaped Aeris.

"Tseng..." Cloud muttered.

"If you'd come with us...?" he smiled.

Raye felt Cloud's body stiffen as he braced himself. She placed her hands on his back and leaned on him.

"Cloud, I can't fight," she managed in a barely audible whisper.

"Damn," he growled, as he noticed more security guards gathering outside the door.

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Within minutes, Cloud found himself in the President's office in handcuffs. As they entered, he noticed that the other members of AVALANCHE had been captured as well. He turned to look behind him and saw that Raye, who was also in handcuffs, was barely being supported by the guard who was dragging her along. The guards stopped them and lined them up in front of a pleased President.

"Where is Aeris?" Barret yelled at the President.

"In a safe place. She's the last surviving Ancient… Don't you know? They called themselves the Cetra, and lived thousands of years ago. Now they are just a forgotten page in history," he seemed to be talking to himself, rather than to his prisoners.

"Cetra… That girl, is she a survivor of the Cetra?" Red XIII said in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Cetra," the President continued, "Or the Ancients will show us the way to the 'Promised Land.' I'm expecting a lot out of her."

"The Promised Land? Isn't that just a legend?" Tifa cut in.

The President laughed, "Even so, it's just too appealing to not to pursue. It's been said the Promised Land is very fertile. …If the land is fertile…"

"Then there's gotta be Mako!" Barret concluded with a growl.

"Exactly. That is why our money sucking Mako Reactor is necessary. The abundant Mako will just come out on its own. That is where Neo-Midgar will be built. Shinra's new glory…"

"You...can't... do that," Raye whispered weakly as she lifted her head.

"#$$#! Quit dreamin'!" Barret challenged him.

"Oh really, don't you know?" he returned with a smile. " These days all it takes for your dreams to come true is money and power. Well, that is all for our meeting."

The President turned away from them to look at the small stack of papers sitting on his desk, as tough nothing of importance just happened. Having no choice, AVALANCHE was led to their cells on another floor by the armed guards.

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They were lead to a small corner of another floor. Turning the corner, they saw their prison rooms. There were six of them at the end of a hallway, three on each side, with large metal doors. Cloud was pushed into the center cell on the right with Tifa. The guards removed their handcuffs and slammed the door behind them as they left. The slamming was repeated three more times for other rooms, then silence. Rubbing his wrists, Cloud looked around the room. The walls were plain and gray, and there was nothing else in the room but a cot which Tifa was laying on. He touched the walls, feeling the unbreakable thickness.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" he called out. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, me 'n Red XII are good over here," Barret's voice came from the room to Cloud's right.

"Cloud, are you there?" Aeris's voice softly drifted from the other room adjacent to his.

"Aeris? You safe?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," she said very softly. "I knew that you'd would come for me."

"Hey, I'm your bodyguard right?" he sighed, relieved.

"Hey, Aeris," Tifa cut in as she sat up on the cot and spoke to the 'Aeris-wall'. "Does the Promised Land really exist?"

"…I don't know. All I know is… The Cetra were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet, and unlock the Planet. And……then… The Cetra will return to the Promised Land. A land that promises supreme happiness."

"…What does that mean?"

Aeris sigh was heard before she said, "More than words……I don't know."

"…Speak with the Planet? Just what does the Planet say?" Cloud asked.

"It's full of people and noisy. That's why I can't make out what they are saying," Aeris replied, sadly. "I only heard it at the Church in the Slums. Mother said that Midgar was no longer safe. That is…my real mother. Someday I'll get out of Midgar… Speak with the Planet and find my Promised Land. …That's what mom said. I thought I would stop hearing her voice as I grew up, but…"

She was quiet after that, and neither Cloud or Tifa pressed further.

"Where's Raye?" Cloud called out to his teammates.

"I didn't see where they took her," was Barret's reply, and "I don't know either," was Aeris'.

"What about you, Tifa?" Cloud said as he turned to her.

She shook her head and stared at the ceiling. "Sorry, Cloud."

"Damn," he said, staring at the floor angrily. "I think she's sick."

"Cloud, I'm fine," came a soft voice. "I mean, I'll be okay."

"Right. Let's just get some sleep."

He sat against the wall and shut his eyes to get some rest for anything to come.

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Within a few hours, Cloud woke up suddenly, feeling strange. He shook his head to clear the remnants of sleep so he could focus. On the cot, Tifa was still asleep and the door was open.

_The door's open… When did it open?_

Cautiously, he went to the doorway and looked out. There didn't seem to be anything there until he stepped outside and saw a guard lying on the floor at the left end of the hallway. He rushed over, and discovered the bloody mess that used to be a man. He returned to his room and tried to awaken Tifa.

"Wake up!"

"What's wrong?" she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Look outside," he said quickly. Tifa looked out the door and returned with a pale face.

"I wonder what happened..."

"He should have the key on him… Come on, Tifa, get Aerith. I'll go help Barret and the others," Cloud went to the body and picked up two plastic keycards and a small bottle from the man's pocket. He handed one to Tifa and went to Barret and Red XIII's cell. Upon opening the door, Barret turned to look at Cloud in surprise.

"How'd you get in? Why's the door open?" Barret asked as Cloud went back outside and he followed. The sight of dead guard shocked him and he exclaimed, "The hell's goin' on?"

Red XIII walked over to the body silently and sniffed it, "No human could've done this. I'll go on ahead."

Cloud nodded and proceeded to look for Raye. He unlocked the center door, across from his, and looked inside. Raye was asleep on the cot, looking no better than when he'd last seen her.

"Wake up, Raye," Cloud said as he shook her arm. "Come on, we have to leave."

"...Cloud?"

"Yeah, now get up. Take this."

She carefully sat up and took the bottle from his hand. "What is it?"

"Its an ether. It'll restore some of your magic. You're going to need it," he said, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Thank you," she replied quietly and drank from the small bottle. Cloud led her out the door quickly and to where Red XIII was waiting, not giving her a chance to ask about the body.

"I'll clean up back here, so you guys go ahead. And don't get caught by Shinra!" Barret yelled after them. Tifa and Aeris pushed past Barret and followed Cloud as well. They all ran to the opposite end of the large floor, passing many dead Shinra employees along the way. Cloud finally stopped at the lower level of the laboratory, where Red XIII sat next to a broken, metal cage that previously belonged to Jenova.

"Jenova Specimen… Looks like it went to the upper floor using that elevator for the specimens," Red XIII observed. There was a trail of smeared blood on the floor that led to the elevators.

"Cloud, what's going on?" Raye's eyes were wide as she took in the bloody scene.

"It looks like the Jenova specimen escaped. We'd better follow the blood," he answered as he stared intently at the smears that covered the floors. "Let's go."

Cloud's group followed the blood path to the President's office. Upon arrival, they witnessed the President sitting at his desk, dead, with a sword impaled on his back

"He's dead…," came Barret's voice as he caught up. " The leader of Shinra, Inc. is dead…"

"Then this sword must be…?" Tifa exclaimed.

"Sephiroth's!…Sephiroth is alive? Only Sephiroth can use that sword," Cloud breathed in disbelief.

"Who cares who did it? This is the end of the Shinra now!" Barret yelled.

From behind a large support beam came a short, balding man that Raye recognized as Palmer. She noticed him running toward the exit and yelled out, "Hey, you!"

Before the door was reached, Barret and Cloud caught him and held him back.

"P- p-p-please, don't kill me!" he stuttered at the two muscular men that held him roughly.

"What happened?" Cloud asked the man in a threatening manner.

"Se …Sephiroth. Sephiroth came."

"Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth?"

"Yeah, I saw him!" the little man squeaked excitedly. " I saw him with my own eyes!"

"You really saw him?"

"Would I lie to you at a time like this? And I heard his voice too! Um, he was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land."

"Then what?" Raye asked softly as she approached him. "Does that mean that the Promised Land really exists and that Sephiroth's here to save it from Shinra?"

"So he's a good guy then?" Barret looked up at Cloud questioningly.

"Save the Promised Land? A good guy? No way! It's not that simple! I know him! Sephiroth's mission is different!"

Their grip must have loosened because Palmer managed to break free and run out onto the large balcony behind the large windows. A Shinra Helicopter came and Palmer ran to, escaping. The group followed him, coming face with a young man in a white suit. He had a cocky grin on his face as he flipped some blond hair away from his eyes.

"Rufus! $! I forgot about him!" Barret cursed as they saw him waiting.

"Who's that?" Raye turned to Barret.

"Vice President Rufus. The President's son."

"… So Sephiroth was actually here," Rufus mused, then looked at them in confusion. "…By the way. Who are you guys?"

"I'm Cloud, former SOLDIER First Class!"

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" Barret yelled at Rufus with Tifa following with, "Same here!"

"…a flower girl from the slums," Aeris replied calmly.

"…a research specimen," Red XIII growled as his fur stood on end.

"Arainien royalty," Raye finished off, staying close to Cloud.

"What a crew," Rufus shrugged. "Well, I'm Rufus. The President of Shinra, Inc."

"You only President, 'cause yer old man died!"

"That's right," he said as he gave them a dashing smile. "I'll let you hear my new appointment speech. …Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working. The population thought that Shinra would protect them. Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you. It looks perfect on the outside. But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them."

"He likes to make speeches just like his father," Tifa rolled her eyes.

Cloud turned to Barret and told him, "Get outta this building with Aerith!"

"What?"

"I'll explain later! Just go! I'll go after I take care of him!"

"Awright, Cloud!"

He turned and left taking Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII with him.

"You too! Go!" Cloud said to Raye.

"No, you cant stay up here by yourself. I'm going to help."

"Why do you want to fight me?" Rufus asked, looking as though he didnt want to be bothered.

"You seek the Promised Land and Sephiroth. Anyway, I can't let either you or Sephiroth have the Promised Land!" he yelled at the new President.

"I see. I guess this means we won't become friends," he smiled, and a dark dog-like animal appeared next to him from the shadows. From the breast of his suit, he took out a large pistol.

He shot directly at Cloud, but it was deflected when Cloud unsheathed his Buster Sword.

"This guy's serious," Raye whispered.

"Be careful," Cloud warned her.

She bent her head and cast a powerful Bolt on Rufus Shinra. A helicopter come over them from behind the building and stopped.

"Heh, that's all for today."

Rufus grabbed the Shinra Helicopter's landing bar and got away from the scene.

"That's it?" Raye looked at Cloud in disbelief.

"We've gotta leave. There's no time for that," he re-sheathed his sword and led Raye downstairs, where Tifa was waiting. As soon as they reached her, she followed without a word.

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"Barret!" Tifa called out to him as she ran down the stairs to the lobby, alone.

"Tifa! Where's Cloud?"

"Everyone, over here!"

"Huh? What's up? Where's Cloud?" Barret asked in irritated confusion.

"I'll tell you later! Hurry, hurry!"

Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII went to the back of the Shinra building and boarded a pale blue pick-up truck with Tifa driving, Aeris next to her, and Barret and Red XIII in the back.. Once she had turned on the engine, Cloud appeared on a motorcycle with Raye sitting behind him. He motioned for Tifa to follow as he led them up the stairs of the building. When they reached tall windows, Cloud drove out of the building by shattering the glass window and landing on the freeway. Tifa and her truck landed safely as well, and they drove along the highway at insane speeds. Hearing a motor other than the one that she was riding on, Raye turned behind her to see many Shinra vehicles catching up to them.

"Cloud! Behind us!" she yelled over the noise, with her hair whipping her face.

He nodded, brought his sword out and held it in his right hand. Surprisingly, the motorcycles passed them and surrounded the truck.

"Damn," Cloud said, speeding up. "Hold on to me!"

Raye did so, and as soon as she was close to the motorcycles she sent a few flying into the with carefully aimed Fire3.

"You're going to fall off! Hold on!" he yelled to her again, when he no longer felt her arms around his chest.

"There are too many of them! You have to let me help!" she returned, letting another spell rip.

She squeezed the seat between her legs tightly in an attempt to stay on. Cloud attacked another motorcycle on his left with the sword, slashing the tire and watching the machine fall on its side. Taking another look at the road behind them, Raye held on to Cloud again.

"I think that's the last of them," she said into his ear. He nodded and continued on in silence. Soon, Raye found herself enjoying the ride, her hair blowing in the wind, the air rushing past her ears...

"This is great," she laughed, and Cloud turned his head slightly toward her. "I feel like I could fly!"

"I wouldn't suggest it," he said and turned back toward the road. He slowed and came to a stop next to the truck that Tifa was driving. The road had promptly ended, with a large "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" sign posted near it.

"Well, what do we do now?" Raye asked Cloud as they both got off the motorcycle and approached the other members of their team.

"Sephiroth is alive. I…I have to settle the score."

"And that'll save the Planet?" Barret cut in as he attempted to get out of the truck with difficulty. "...Seems like it."

"Awright, I'm going!" Barret announced when he had finally made it out of the trunk.

"I'll go too," Aeris said as she stepped forward. "…I have things that I want to find out."

"What choice do I have?" Raye mumbled, realizing that she may not go home for long time.

Tifa turned toward the main lights and buildings that were located in the distance and sighed, "I guess this's good bye, Midgar."

Tifa quickly located a thick cable hanging from the end of the incomplete highway. One by one, they carefully used the cable and went outside of Midgar. It was plain and barren, with a tall metal fence separating them from the city.

"Let's go," Cloud motioned to the grassy expanse that was farther out of the outskirts of the city. "We need a group leader for our journey," Barret said in a gruff voice and crossed his arms over his chest. " 'Course only me could be the leader."

"You think so…?" Tifa made a face at Barret.

"It would have to be Cloud," Aeris smiled and nodded, then Tifa joined her in agreement.

"$$&……awright," he said in a disappointed tone before turning to Cloud. "Go Northeast to a town called Kalm. If something happens, we'll meet up there. 'Sides, we can't have 5 people strolling down the fields. It's too dangerous."

"Alright, then. Barret and Raye, come with me." Cloud decided. "Tifa, Aeris, we'll meet you there."

They nodded and walked off quickly in the direction of the next town.

"We'd better get going," Raye said to Cloud. "Its starting to get dark."

Cloud and Barret nodded in unison, and together they walked off the concrete into the grassy opening.

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Kalm wasnt very far away, although it took them a couple of hours to get there, they did make it safely to the small town. It was largely different from Midgar, Raye realized. The town was, at least one-sixth the size of Midgar with only about ten houses and four stores. It seemed peaceful in a way. There weren't as many lights on, and everything was made of stone and wood. They entered the town and the streets were paved with cobblestones.

_This reminds me of Arainiel..._ Raye thought fondly. Her own kingdom was larger, of course, but the serenity and simplicity of the houses and people made her nostalgic.

"So, this is Kalm?" Raye smiled as she stepped toward th center of the small town and looked around.

"Yo, I'll be waitin' at the inn…" Barret motioned toward the first stone-and-wood building on the left. " Hurry up and get your butt over there when you're ready!"

Cloud nodded to Barret and took Raye by the hand. Without a word, he led her just outside the town, where it was open and illuminated by the outdoor lights.

"What are you doing?" she said with annoyance and she retrieved her hand.

"You asked me to train you, right?" He rolled his eyes at her. "What better time to do it?"

She sighed in a very tired way, "Wont today ever end?"

He brought his sword from the sheath on his back and held it out to her. She tentatively reached out and grabbed it with one hand. Cloud released it and the blade dropped to the floor, with Raye barely holding the handle up with two hands. She was turning red in the face from the strain of it's weight. Finally, Raye couldn't hold it anymore, dropped it, and fell onto her rear end.

"How do you hold that thing?" she yelled. "Its too heavy!"

Cloud folded his arms across his chest and looked irritated. "The entire point is to build up your strength so you will be able to use it later."

He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Try again."

Raye did so, turning red again.

"You're not holding it right."

Cloud stood behind her and placed his hands over hers. "Your hands are too close together," he began, sliding them to opposite ends. "And hold do you expect to stand with something so heavy? You cant stand with your feet together, or you'll fall over."

He moved closer and pushed her feet apart with his.

"Better?"

She nodded, and he let go. This time, she managed to hold on for a longer time.

"How long do you think it will take me to get stronger?" she asked him softly as she set the point of the blade on the grass.

"Well, you're going to have to build up your strength, first. You cant expect to use a sword without the power to do it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," she mumbled and sat on the grass. "Ill go to the weapon's shop tomorrow. There's no way I can use yours forever."

"What's wrong with you?"

She sighed deeply and laid back on the cold grass. "I've never been so tired..."

"Let's go to the Inn, then."

Cloud grabbed his sword and returned it to his back. The sun had set completely, and it was starting to get cold as a soft breeze set in, but Raye didn't move.

"Hey, get up," he said as he kneeled next to her. She was asleep already, and it didn't seem that she would be happy to be awakened. He put one arm under her legs and another beneath her shoulder to carry her. Her body was warmer than he would have expected, and he concluded that she must be ill.

"You're such a pain in the ass," he commented to her sleeping form, and walked toward the inn.

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What a painful chapter... . I'm sure its pretty dry... Um... Don't expect another update for a while... Comments, Suggestions, and Constructive Criticism!


	10. Kalm

YAYཀཀ I'm so happyཀ Not really. School's coming, which means less frequent updates. Sorry it took so long for this one to come out!

**Ukari-chan**- Wow, you reviewed that chapter late. . I'm glad to hear that you found the Wall Market chapter funny.

**Rebellious**- I'm not trying to make it brother/sister. From _my_ perspective, he's cocky and Raye's immature. . I hope I'm not leading you down the wrong direction...

Also, I'm getting a lot of hits for this story, which makes me happy. I also have a lot of faves and alerts. Now I'm really happy. But could you please review as well? It lets me know about improvements that need to be made or just if you liked the chapter. This keeps my imagination fueled. .

-NOTE- If you know about the Cloud and Sephiroth at Mt. Nibel story, the dream sequence isnt necessary to read. Probably OOC... I don't know...

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_Wedge fell from the support beam... Jessie and Biggs died on the stairs..._

_The Plate collapsed... I escaped... We went to the Shinra building... the President was killed..._

_We had to escape Midgar..._

_... Sephiroth..._

_... and the crisis of the Planet... and Cloud..._

_We were in... SOLDIER... we went to... Nibelheim... the reactor in... Mt. Nibel..._

_...Sephiroth's strength is unreal. He is far stronger in reality then any story you might have heard about him... Jenova... is Sephiroth's mother..._

_We saw Tifa there as our guide... it was... our hometown...Sephiroth and I went to see the reactor...in Mt. Nibel... We went to the reactor... but Tifa couldn't come inside..._

_There was... Jenova inside... and monsters made from Mako...And it's Hojo of Shinra that produced those monsters... Mutated living organisms produced by Mako energy... That's what those monster's really were..._ _Sephiroth... went nuts..._

..._Damn, Shinra__ཀ __The more I hear, the more I hate 'em__ཀ_

……_who would have ever thought the Mako Reactor held a secret like that..._

_That would seem to explain the increase in the number of monsters recently..._

_We returned to Nibelheim... Sephiroth confined himself at the inn... Then he just disappeared..._ _We found him inside the biggest building in Nibelheim... The villagers used to call it Shinra mansion..._

_...I went after him into the basement... He was reading a book about some kind of organism... an Ancient... named Jenova... He called me a traitor and went rambling on... It was something like... '... race. They would migrate in... settle the Planet, then move on… At the end of their hard journey... find the Promised Land and ...happiness. But... those who stopped their migrations built shelters and elected to lead an easier life... They took... that which the Cetra and the planet had made... without giving back to the Planet! Those are your ancestors._'

_... He said that_ _the Planet was sacrificing the true Cetra... while the rest of our 'ancestors' hid.._

.._he claimed he was 'produced' by the Jenova project..._

_... He..._

_...Sephiroth...destroyed everything..._

_The entire town was ablaze..._ _and he returned to the Mako reactor at Mt. Nibel..._

_... he killed Tifa's father..._ _and attacked Tifa... he went through a door in the back to... Jenova._

_... He said that Jenova... His mother... would rule the Planet... I tried to stop him... but I couldnt..._

……_and that's the end of my story._

_Aint there more?_

_... I don't remember... but... I want to find out what happened...the truth... about Sephiroth... Jenova... everything..._

_Lets just get some sleep..._

_...Cloud_

_...and...Sephiroth..._

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Raye had to blink a few times to focus her eyes before she realized that she was staring at the wooden night stand beside the bed. On it, she noticed a slip of paper with untidy handwriting next to the lamp, but she didn't feel like reading it. The room was empty, she realized as she looked around.There were six beds, three on each side, and they all looked messy and slept-in.With a lot of effort, Raye sat up on the bed and a thin blanket fell from her shoulders.

"Ow...," she muttered to the empty room and hugged herself.

There was a pain that shot through all her unused muscles, it was the kind that gave her an intense wake-up call. _I must have overworked myself..._

She looked down at theblue-green woven bedding and blanket that surrounded her body untidilySlowly, she removed it from her lap and tossed it to the end of the single bed.It landed with a soft _swish_, then fell over the edge and onto the floor.Raye sighedand decided not to pick it up. She rubbed her arms to try and stop the dull, pounding pain in her muscles.

_This is what I get for sitting on my butt all my life... My body isn't used to this..._

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, while wincing, and proceeded to examine at the rug on the floor. It was a soft red with green embroidered leaves along the edges.

_I have the same one in my room... At home..._

Without meaning to, a tear fell from her eye and onto her bare lap. She hastily wiped her eyes, but the flood wouldn't be stopped. She leaned on her elbows and covered her face, which she felt getting warmer. Soft steps were heard coming up the stairs at the far end of the room.

"Oh, you're awake! Good morning!" came Tifa's voice.

Raye looked up at Tifa. She was coming toward her, looking rested and refreshed. Like nothing life-threatening had happened the day before.

"What's wrong, Raye?" she walked over faster, picking up the blanket along the way. Tifa sat next to her and put an arm around her.

"Tell me...?"

Raye sniffed. "I'm so useless that my muscles hurt from training with Cloud yesterday. I... want to go home...," she muttered into Tifa's shoulder.

"You'll get better," Tifa soothed and smoothed Raye's messy hair back. "Maybe you'll go home soon. This is going to be dangerous. I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

Raye removed herself from Tifa's shoulder, embarrassed that she was crying again. "I... I think I know already."

"Whats that?"

Raye wiped her cheeks and wouldn't look Tifa in the eye. "I didnt sleep comfortably... I was awake half the time... I heard about Sephiroth... and Nibelheim..."

Tifa stood, grabbed Raye's hand, and pulled her to her feet. "Let's get your mind off of that. Let's get some breakfast, okay?"

Raye nodded slightly and allowed Tifa to lead her downstairs, where most of AVALANCHE was eating breakfast at a long wooden table. The table was lined with different plates of food, many cups and well-rested AVALANCHE members. Aeris, Cloud, and Barret sat at the table in silence, and Red XIII rested quietly in the corner, his head on his paws. Upon seeing them, Raye had an urge to go back upstairs and sulk in bed. Sensing this, Tifa's grip tightened and they touched down on the ground floor.

"Look who's finally up," Aeris commented with a smile.

Raye stared at the floor, her face flushing, and wished she was elsewhere.

"Eat something," Tifa said, giving her a push toward the table. "We're leaving Kalm later today, and you'll need your strength."

Raye didn't reply to Tifa. She walked over to the only empty seat beside Cloud and sat down without taking a plate.

"Do your muscles hurt?" he asked before taking a bite of bread.

"Yeah," she whispered to her lap as quietly as she could.

"You shouldn't have went straight to sleep after doing all that last night," he said with no sympathy.

Raye didnt have the energy to fight with him, even though he seemed like he was asking for it.

"I know."

He took no notice of her backing down, and only continued to eat.After several minutes of silence among them, Tifa broke it.

"So, Raye. How _was _your conditioning with Cloud last night?" she asked cheerfully.

"Fine. Oh, and I need to go to a weapons shop today. There's no way that I could possibly survive using Cloud's blade," she murmured.

She glared sideways at Cloud, who either took no notice, or didn't care. She sighed deeply, feeling a headache coming on, and finally ate.

----

"Weren't you going somewhere today," Cloud asked as he entered the main bedrooms and looked at Raye. She tore her gaze away from the ceiling to give him a questioning glance.

"Huh?"

He rolled his eyes and jerked his thumbbehind him, toward the stairs. "We're all leaving in a couple of hours. You didnt go to the weapons shop, did you?"

Her heart jumped, and she sat up quickly.

_Right, I'm so stupid, I forgot! I ate, and then went up here to rest._

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

She hurried to get up and run past himdown the stairs.She left the inn without a word to anyone and stopped outside the door. As soon as she stepped out, she sensed the 'sleepiness' of the small town. It wasn't bustling with cheerful, laughing peoplelike Arainiel was.The people seemed friendly enough, but they were quiet as they walked along the cobblestoned streets.

"Waiting for something?"

She turned back towards the door where Cloud stood.

"Not you," she growled.

"So," he smiled and walked to her. "You don't need my help, Useless?"

Raye narrowed her eyes at him, "You're so mean to me!"

Once again, he rolled his blue eyes at her and shook his head. "Grow up, would you, Princess?"

Her anger rose up in her and she shouted, "What, you're going to make me!"

He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not interested."

"Argh! Then go away!"

"I have a choice of sitting at the inn, watching Barret get fatter, or you, trying to pick out a weapon.."

Before her anger could reach its peak, Raye walked away so she wouldn't strangle him. She didnt dare look behind her, but she knew that he was following. Fuming, she walked to the other end of the cobblestone square, and up stone steps to a row of three stores. She walked into the first, where an old, bearded man greeted her.

"Can I help you, young lady?" he asked with a strange look. "Are you in the right place? This is a weapons shop, you know."

Her eyebrow twitched and she gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, I know. I'll just look around," she laughed in an attempt to vent some steam.

"Allow me to help you!"

The small, balding man jumped down from behind the counter and hobbled over to her. He was only half her size, but twice her strength as she soon realized. He picked up the heaviest of the weapons that were hung on the walls and gave them to her as he rambled his sales pitch.

"Sorry!" Raye squealed as she dropped a heavy axe onto the floor. "I don't think you have what I'm looking for..."

Cloud let out a laugh from behind her and she pressed her heel into the toes of his boot. "Do you have anything lighter?"

"Lighter, eh?"

He walked behind the counter and returned in a few minutes with a blade that was thin, and curved slightly. Raye took it in her hands and found it to be a manageable weight. As far as she could tell, it was a pretty good sword.

"What's the price?"

The small man grinned strangely before answering with a decisive, "Eight hundred gil."

"Wow, that's it?" Raye couldn't mask her surprise.

"I don't think so," Cloud stepped in, looking serious.

"What now?" Raye sighed.

"You _do_ know you're being cheated, right?"

Raye looked at the sword in her hands, then the tiny old man, then back at Cloud.

"You're not serious."

"You're not going to spend money on this crap. Nothing is worth only eight hundred gil. Not weapons or armor," he acted as though he was explaining this to a small child.

"This is an old man! He's not going to cheat me!"

Angrily, she walked toward the counter and placed the blade and sheath on it.

"Where did you get the gil?" Cloud asked.

"When we were fighting some monsters, I picked it up. I think it was in the sewers," she grumbled and counted the money in her hand.

"Don't buy it. People have _died_ from faulty, cheap weaponry."

She narrowed her eyes and glared daggers at him. "I don't need you to tell me what to do."

He folded his arms and returned her glare. "I bet you're used to _giving_ the orders, huh?"

As soon as the payment was complete, she grabbed the sword from the counter and faced him with fuming anger.

"Why are you such a jerk to me?"

"You're a princess, you don't belong here with us. We're about to get into a big battle for the truth and the Planet. Do you really think you're going to make it? Even with our help, you cant do much. You're soft, and scared all the time. You're going home as soon as you can. Babysitting you is the last thing we need," he finished, with cold words.

She hit him. Hard. With the end of the sheath. In the abdomen. He doubled over in pain, and she walked out calmly.

"Where's Cloud?"

"He'll be coming soon enough," Raye growled as she and AVALANCHE stood before the inn.

"Well, you'll be needing this," Tifa said and handed a small black phone to Raye. "It's a PHS. It'll make sure all of us are in contact if we need each other."

Tifa smiled warmly at Raye, and Raye felt better.

"Thanks," Raye smiled too

"Yo, Cloud! Let's get a move on!" Barret shouted at an upcoming Cloud. He didnt look at all likr he was pleased. Raye felt a fight coming on, but didnt care. She turned her back to him and fumed silently.

"Yo, c'mon let's go!" Barret was getting impatient so he left the town, taking Red XIII with him.

"Are we ready to go?" Aeris asked Cloud.

"Yeah," he said softly and received his PHS.

He passed by the girls, giving Raye a gentle tap in the back of the head along the way. She put her hand to the injury, and glared at his back. But, having no choice, she followed him with Tifa and Aeris beside her. With a strange feeling of regret, she turned her back on Kalm and left for the next town.

-----

GAH! I hate this chapter! Please review though... Ill have to take a break or I'll kill the rest o the story... CRITIQUE ME PLEASE!


	11. Chocobo and Snakes

Whoo! Reviews! Thank you very much!

**Rebellious- **I know. I'm so terrible, I refer to that chapter as a bad filler. I'm sorry! I went brain-dead, but the story needed to be pushed forward.

**BleedingHeart756**- I'm glad to hear that I have a new fan. I'll gladly continue.

**pockyfreakincrazy4bois**- Yes, it was very obviously a filler. Glad to hear you still liked it.

On with the next chapter! Which (hopefully) will not suck. -sweatdrop- I wanna write fluff, but it will ruin the story if I do it right now... I'll let just a little slip in. Don't hate me!

--NOTE– School starts tomorrow. Oh, joy. I don't know when the next update will be.

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Raye spent the first fifteen minutes of the journey to the next town staring at the back of Cloud's spiky, blond head, wondering why he wasn't more obvious about his anger towards her. She had hit him hard in the gut, out of uncontrollable anger. Mind you, he deserved it, but afterwards he had done nothing more than give her a tap on the back of the head. He was probably plotting her demise, she decided. After a few more minutes of watching grassy plain go by, Raye had to find someway to occupy herself, and not ask the dreaded 'Are-we-there-yet?' question. The breeze gently rustled the grass and trees, and the sun shone endlessly, mocking the dull pounding she felt in her head. She looked over to Tifa, who walked slightly ahead of her, and Aeris who was directly to her side. They didn't seem bored in the least bit. She watched Tifa brown hair swishing behind her. She must have felt Raye's eyes upon her, because she turned around and stared at Raye with her large brown eyes. Raye blushed for staring and quickly moved her gaze to her moving feet. Immediately, she felt a cool hand on her forehead. She looked up again at Tifa's concerned face.

"I forgot to ask," she said softly. "Yesterday must've been tough for you. You were really pale and weak. Are you any better? You still look a little feverish."

Raye brushed off Tifa's hand in embarrassment. "I'll be fine. I probably caught something while I was still at home. I'll be over it soon."

Raye walked in step with Tifa in silence.

"So, um, where are we headed now?"

"You see those mountains over there?" She pointed far left, where tall, dark silhouettes of mountains were on the horizon. Raye squinted and nodded.

"Well, there's only one way through them. There's a marsh in front of the cavern, but there's supposed to be a thirty-foot snake living in it."

At the word 'snake' Raye's eyes widened and she looked slightly panicked.

"Thirty feet!" she exclaimed, in shock.

"Oh, don't worry!" Tifa said quickly. "I didnt mean to scare you! There's a Chocobo Ranch right near the marsh. They are very fast when going across marshes and swamps, so we should be able to make it to the cavern without fighting it."

"Sh-should be able?" Raye's voice quivered slightly.

Tifa laughed nervously and patted Raye's shoulder. "We'll be fine. I didn't think this would upset you so much."

Raye nervously played with the charm that hung on her necklace. "Well, I would think that a thirty-foot snake would make anyone nervous."

"You don't like snakes?" Aeris asked, smiling, from in front of them. She seemed strangely cheery, even though she heard the dangerous news as well as Raye did.

"I was bitten by a snake when I was three. I hated them ever since. Why arent you worried about it?"

Aeris smiled sweetly and pointed to Cloud, who was several feet ahead of them. "If worse comes to worst, I'm sure Cloud'll take care of it."

_Somehow, I highly doubt that._

Raye sighed and felt embarrassed for being so worried, while the others were so calm and composed.

_Well, they don't have to worry that one of the members might _throw_ them to the snake._

"So don't worry, okay?" Tifa smiled, and Raye returned it with one of her own.

_I like Tifa. She's so kind and caring. _

"Tifa, Barret and Red XIII are already at the Ranch aren't they?" Aeris asked her.

"Yeah, they should be there by now. They'll get our chocobos so we can cross the marsh right away," Tifa sped up and walked next to Aeris, proceeding to chat pleasantly.

Walking alone once again, Raye thought about her home and Lillith. Her 'nanny' and 'adoptive mother' promised to write as soon as Raye left Arainiel. A couple of days had already passed, and there wasn't a letter to be heard of. Raye hoped desperately that the mail would be forwarded to her, wherever she went. She wouldn't make it without word of what was happening back home.

"Hey, um, how long until we reach the ranch?"

" A few more hours," Tifa said quickly, then returned to her conversation with Aeris while Raye moaned inwardly.

_Wonderful. My aching muscles will hate me for this, and my head will explode._

_----------_

Surely enough, they arrived at the ranch within the next four hours. It was a small place, but very quaint. Outside, there was a long wooden fence in the shape of a rectangle with several large, yellow chocobo walking around inside. Behind the fence were small and large wooden buildings. Raye guessed that the bigger one was the barn, and the smaller, the house. As Tifa and Aeris casually walked toward the house to find Barret and Red XIII, Raye cautiously approached the chocobo nearest to the fence. It picked up its large head and inspected her. Raye laughed softly as she looked at the bird. The feathers at the top if its head stuck out oddly and looked nearly the same as Cloud's. The bird took a long step towards her and cocked it head to one side. Now next to the chocobo, Raye realized how large they actually were, and began to feel a little nervous.

"Wark Wark!" the chocobo said, jumping up and down and flapping its tiny wings excitedly.

"Ah," Raye managed as her heart pounded in her chest. "Wark...?"

The bird made more excited-like noises and placed a small blue ball from its beak into her hand. She stared down at the ball in confusion.

"Materia..?"

The bird looked at her with its large blue eyes, then nuzzled her face with its beak. Raye patted its beak gently and laughed nervously.

"Ha ha... Good chocobo."

"Chocobo like you, obviously."

"Yeah, I guess," Raye mumbled to Cloud, trying to get the chocobo away from her, but it wouldn't be stopped.

"Wark!"

"Need some help?" There was a hint of glee in his voice.

"Not from _you_," she growled, but stopped as another interested chocobo appeared beside the first. "Geh?" she said in stupid surprise.

"Wark!"

Wark warrrk!"

Raye finally gave up and stood there, uncomfortably, as the birds played with her hair and shiny metal on her belts affectionately. She was starting to get annoyed at Cloud's laughter and wondered if she could get the chocobo to attack him.

"Stop laughing already, Chocobo Head," she growled.

"Petty insults about my spiky hair wont make me stop for _this_," he laughed.

Raye's eyebrow twitched.

_Standing here, getting molested_ _and harassed by chocobos is only funny when it isnt happening to _you.

"Hey, guys! Hey- Raye, do you need some help?" Tifa came running towards them, but stopped and stared at the two yellow birds making a nest in Raye's hair. They tugged gently with their beaks until Raye pulled her hair elastic out, and let her wavy brown hair fall around her shoulders. Once again, they 'wark'ed excitedly and continued playing with her.

"Hi," Raye grumbled.

Tifa put her hand to her mouth to cover a smile and suppress a giggle, but it couldn't be helped and she laughed aloud for a few moments.

"Ha, sorry... Raye, I ... ha ha ha, you just look so... so..." she managed but burst into laughter.

"Hardy har har, now can we get the chocobo and leave?" she narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"About that," Tifa cleared her throat and stopped giggling. "The farmer says that he couldn't rent out any of these chocobo, because they don't belong to him. He's taking care of them for someone else."

"So, what do we do?" Raye patted the birds' beaks to quiet them.

Just then, Barret stormed out of the small house, cursing. His large form was followed by the brightness of Red XIII's fur. He stormed toward them, reached them, and continued to spew curses.

"Stupid-old-cheatin'-&$#!" he yelled and his muscular arms shook with anger. Red XIII put his head on the ground and covered his ears with his paws for the next wave of profanity. Aeris appeared at the door of the house with some green plants in her hand, waved to someone inside, and walked over to the other end of the fence toward them.

"Will someone tell us what's going on?" Cloud muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

Barret finally ended his verbal attack toward the man, who was still located in the house, and said, "That old cheat sold us a Chocobo Lure Materia so we could catch our own, cuz he couldnt rent us these. The old &($ sold it to us for ten thousand gil!"

"That much? Thats so steep!" Raye exclaimed in surprise, half from the price, half from the chocobo tugging on her earing.

"Yeah," Aeris sighed and held up the few green plants in her hand. "We also need greens to lure them. This is all we could afford."

"That's just great. We'll have to double-up on chocobo," Cloud grumbled.

"I was gonna ask," Barret began as he turned toward Raye, who's hair was turned in every which direction and had one chocobo's head resting on her shoulder, and the other on her head. "What the hell?"

"Never mind, just catch the chocobo," she grumbled.

---------------

It took twenty minutes to catch three chocobos, which was all they could afford because they only had three greens. During this time, Raye lost an earring, two bracelets, and a chain fragment, promptly stolen by the chocobo. With the help of both Barret and Tifa, Raye was dragged away from the overly-affectionate chocobo. Her only battle scar was a seemingly untamable nest of hair, which received many stiffled giggles. In annoyance, she began to smooth out her hair.

"Can you stop teasing me, please?" she muttered, and tied her flat hair back, letting the waves fall about the back of her neck.

Barret, who secured the three chocobo with rope, said in annoyance, "Les' move already!"

Raye turned to see who she would be teamed up with, only to see that Red XIII had already padded over to Barret, and Tifa and Aeris had boarded a chocobo.

"That leaves...," her voice quivered.

"What's wrong with you?"

She laughed nervously and waves her hands in the air in an exaggerated motion. "N-nothing!"

_Just hoping that you wont throw me to the snake._

She walked over to where the chocobo were located and received a strange look from Cloud.

"What?"

"Why do you look nervous now?"

She shook her head nervously, and held out her Materia that the chocobo gave her.

"What should I do with this?"

"You don't know how to use Materia?" he asked, unbelieving.

"It's not that! I was just wondering if I should keep it," she mumbled, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Why wouldnt you? Here's a leg-up," he held out his hands to help her up onto the tall bird.

She popped the blue orb into the hilt of her sword, and accepted his help. Once seated, she had an awkward feeling. She had never ridden a chocobo, and it felt very strange. The golden feathers were soft, and its body warm, but beneath her, the strong muscles of the chocobo rippled. The awkwardness increased when Cloud's body pressed against her back as he climbed aboard as well and grabbed the rope reins. Raye's body stiffened and she didnt move a single muscle.

"Ah," she whispered. "Can we hurry?"

"Wark! Warrrk!"

The chocobo seemingly began to move on its own, and Raye made a small, scared noise. Cloud's arms appeared beside her, showing her that he was in control.

"It was _me_," he muttered, rolling his eyes and made the chocobo walk behind the other two at a leisurely pace.

"Cloud, um, what's that Materia for? Is it magic? Or defense?" she murmured shyly.

"Summon Materia."

They arrived at the edge of the marsh, which seemed deep. The water was a dull grey-beige color, and there were random grasses poking up from beneath the water. The water was still, and a long, dark figure moved beneath the water, causing small ripples and waves to lap against the chocobo's feet. One by one, the chocobo took off sprinting to the cavern, visible on the other side of the marsh.

"Please hold on to me," she said to Cloud, having nothing to hold onto herself.

He leaned in and placed his arms around her, with the reins directly in front. Raye squeezed her eyes shut in fear. When she reopened them, she saw the dark shadow beneath the water, nearly beside them.

"Cloud!" she yelled and pointed to it.

"Damn!" he yelled as he guided the chocobo sideways.

"Do something!" she shrieked in fear, watching the black head of the snake come up, and its crimson eyes opening..

"I cant!"

Raye shut her eyes and cast Fire2 in the general direction of the snake. The dirty water flew high into the air with a huge splash. There was a high-pitched shriek from the snake, and Raye felt the chocobo speed up. Within seconds, the feet of the chocobo hit the land around the cavern. Cloud got off first, sliding off easily. Raye didnt move, she didnt breathe. She was so scared that she could move for fear. Slowly, she turned her head back toward the marsh. The shadow was hanging around the edge of the land, creating ripples and waves. She didnt respond when she felt hands around her waist, pulling her to the ground. She closed her eyes, unsure of how to feel. She was still shaken up, but somehow couldnt feel relieved that the marsh-crossing was over. She felt hands on her shoulders, then around her in a comforting hold.

-------------------

Oh yeah. Cliffy. I had to do it. Sorreh! You'll just have to wait for the next update!


	12. Junon

Whoo! I left you on a cliffhanger...but I have to keep you interested somehow while I'm at school, right? Oh, yeah. Sunday, September 17. Important date. My birthday, oh yeah. Gimme lots of reviews!

My reviewers are much loved, really. I'm grateful for the time you take to let me know that I should continue the story. Chocobos** own** Raye's hair. There **will** be shameless fluff eventually. Cloud will find himself in some compromising positions with other AVALANCHE members. :evil face:

**You all know why it took so long. Please don't hate me.**

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The arms around her squeezed gently and Raye brought her hands to the chest and grabbed the fabric pressing against her face. Her heart pounded as the image of the snake's head, coming up out of the water, replayed endlessly. It's red eyes were opening, and the black slits staring at her... A hand felt her forehead, and was removed immediately.

"Her fever's back."

"Raye, you're shivering. Raye?"

She ignored the voices, and pressed her face against the chest of her comforter.

_I'm cold..._

"Raye?" Aeris's voice was muffled.

She was pushed back gently, and felt strong hands on her shoulders. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, even though she was unsure why.

"Look at me," Cloud's voice said gently, and then more seriously, "Raye."

She managed to open her eyes and looked into the blue that stared back. To her side, Tifa and Aeris stood with worry obvious on their faces. Another tear slowly made its way down her pale cheek, and she raised her hands into view. They were as pale as the rest of Raye's body, and they shook against her will.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't..." she managed before her eyes closed involuntarily and her knees buckled.

----------

Raye awoke, hours later, when it was dark and there was a strong fire going in front of her. Her eyes instantly met the dark green grass that was around her face. Numbly, she sat up and noticed four figures laying on the glass on the other end of the fire, all of various sizes. All around them, the black figures of mountains were visible against the deep blue sky. Everyone around her was asleep, so she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them close. The shaky feeling in her stomach had not disappeared, and she was cold again, even this close to the fire.

"You're awake?"

The voice came from the grass behind her, so she turned toward the missing AVALANCHE member. "Yeah," she whispered in a thoroughly raspy voice. "What happened?"

Cloud's features were illuminated by the dancing flames, and she could clearly see worry as he sat up as well.

"You went pale, and you were shaking. Then you just fell apart and fainted."

Raye quieted and hugged her knees again.

"I'm sorry."

Cloud shifted, until he sat beside her. "You're sick. Nothing to be sorry about."

She buried her face in her knees and stayed quiet.

_I shouldn't have gotten sick..._

_I'm so useless._

His cool palm felt her forehead again and she didnt move.

"We'd better get to the next town soon. Your fever is getting worse."

"When do you think we'll get there?" she whispered.

He shrugged and removed his hand saying, "Tomorrow, maybe."

She laughed with sarcasm, "That's great."

"Are you too sick to try and train? Maybe to get your mind off of your fever?"

She shook her head slowly and let herself fall sideways, her face against Cloud's bare shoulder. "I can't."

He stayed silent, knowing that he shouldn't push the sick princess into training, but wanted to do something to help her. He couldn't think of a thing, so he allowed her to fall asleep against him as he stayed up all night, staring at the dwindling fire.

------

That morning, there was an attempt to wake Raye up, but it was in vain, so whoever it was gave up and carried her. She smiled in her sleep and hugged the warm body closer, softly breathing upon the back of the carrier's neck.

"Mmm?"

Her eyes found golden spikes as they focused in from sleep. She jumped, startled, for fear of being impaled.

"What the hell?" Cloud gripped beneath her legs tightly to steady them both and avoid falling.

"Sorry," she whispered as she leaned back onto him. "I was startled by your hair."

There was a collective laugh among Aeris and Tifa, before they were silenced by Cloud's glare. He grumbled further, and complained about having to carry the heavy, spoiled princess. Raye did her best to ignore him, and look around the unfamiliar scenery. They were walking through the caves that Tifa was talking about before. From the look of it, they were deep inside, for she couoldnt see the light of the outside world at all. The walls were shining, reflecting even the smallest among of light brilliantly and guiding their path.

"What is this place?"

"Mythril Caves," came Aeris' reply, from right beside them. She had an odd look on her face, as thought she was thinking very hard about something, but trying to keep a straight face.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," she said sweetly, waving her hand in the air, as if to swat the question away. To avoid further glances, she toyed with a curly piece of hair beside her face.

_Oh yeah. She likes Cloud..._

_Hee hee. This must be making her a little jealous. _

Raye closed her eyes, surprised of how tired her muscles were feeling even though she had just woken up. She was calm though. The images of the snake seemed long past, and she felt safe again. It was all a nice ride, until Cloud and the rest of the team stopped, looking at the upper level of the caves, where two figures stood. Wondering what was happening, Raye looked, and a feeling of panic seized her insides. One figure was the dark, bald man called Rude, and the other she recognized from the Shinra board meeting. He was Tseng, and the two didnt look happy to see them Red XIII's fur rose and a low growl echoed through the cave.

"Cloud, thats Tseng. From the Shinra building!" she whispered.

"Just a second!" came the bald man's deep and commanding voice.

Tifa was instantly alert, "Who are you?"

"You're from the Turks, right?" Cloud growled, calculating their position and the chance of winning, keeping Raye safe, and Aeris from being kidnaped.

"Well if you know, then this won't take long. It's difficult to explain what the Turks do..." said Tseng, his voice cool.

"Kidnapping, right?" his eyes darted to Aeris, who looked worried.

"To put it negatively…you could say that. …But, that's not all there is to it, anymore." said Rude, looking uncomfortable, and shutting his mouth. From another upper level, located near the first came a young woman, also in the Turk uniform. She couldnt have been more than a few years older than Raye, with short, blond hair, and a gun in her holster.

"Sir!" came her strong and clear interruption. "It's all right, Rude! I know you don't like speeches, so don't force it!"

Rude stayed silent, then she continued to AVALANCHE, "I'm the newest member of the Turks, Elena. Thanks to what you did to Reno, we're short of people. …Although, because of that, I got promoted to the Turks… In any case, our job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed. And to try and step you everystep of the way. Wait a minute, it's the other way around… You're the ones that are getting in our way."

By the end of her speech, her voice lost its strength and she seemed unsure if what she was saying made sense and didnt sound stupid.

"…Elena. You talk too much." Tseng growled, very impatient.

"Sorry…Tseng."

"No need to tell them about our orders. Now go. Don't forget to file your report."

"Oh! Right! Very well, Rude and I will go after Sephiroth, who's heading for Junon Harbor!"

Tseng's face went into shock and he slapped his forehead for the sake of something to do. After all, he was too far away to kill her.

"…Elena. You don't seem to understand," he tried to keep his voice calm. "…Go. Don't let Sephiroth get away."

Rude and Elena both saluted him with a firm 'Yes, sir!'. Before departing from sight, Rude gave one last deep-voiced threat, "...Reno said he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave him healed. He wants to show his affection for you all…with a new weapon."

Rude and Elena left the scene, leaving Tseng with a very anxious AVALANCHE.

"Well, then…" he looked at his black phone, before turning away from them. "I'll come back for Aeris later." Tseng left, leaving everyone confused..

"Is it just me, or was that the most pointless encounter?" Aeris asked, obviously shocked.

Cloud shook his head and looked at the space where he guessed the exit was. "Not pointless at all. That new Turk just told us where we should be heading."

They carefully climbed the rock one at a time, and arrived immediately at the exit to the caves.

Raye decided to walk on her own, however hard it may be, because she felt guilty for taking advantage of Cloud.

"You're sure?"

She nodded and shielded her eyes from the unfamiliar sun. There was a great expanse of dry land, mountains and a tower in the far-off distance.

"Which way is this Junon?" Barret broke his long silence.

Red XIII stepped forward, his ears perking up, and looked around. "I believe its that way."

He threw his head in some general direction (Raye had no idea, and no compass) and they all began walking, with the exception of Tifa.

"What, Tifa?" Cloud turned to look at her. She was staring at the small tower on the opposite horizon.

"I think we should split up and check out that tower."

"What's over there?" Aeris asked.

"I don't know. But we should check out every place we encounter, right?"

"She has a point," Red XIII confirmed. "I shall go with you."

The large red animal, walked over to Tifa. "We'll meet up at Junon Harbor later."

"Be careful," was Raye's soft voice.

"Huh?" Tifa turned back.

"I said to be careful. It might be dangerous," Raye repeated, feeling stupid all of a sudden.

Tifa smiled and assured her that they were safe before leaving with Red XIII.

"Les' go already," Barret sounded very irritated, probably from doing nothing productive in a long time.

Cloud nodded, with a decisive 'right' and took Raye's hand, leading her along as the remaining group members continued on.

There was a lush forest at the end of the dry expanse, Raye noted happily. The entire group was silent mostly, making the air thick with UNCOMFORTABLE. And she also couldnt shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Of course, it could have been the fainting-pounding-I'm-going-to-keel-over-right-now headache. She looked behind her, feeling nervous again. Cloud squeezed her hand and asked if she was alright.

"Yeah," she said quietly, leaning in to his ear. "But I think someone is following us."

They both stopped, causing Barret and Aeris to stop as well. The tree leaves rustled strangely, and they all looked up toward the sound.

"What is it?" Aeris asked.

"Nothing good," Cloud answered her as he searched the tall trees for the source of the noise. Before another second could pass, a shining shuriken came toward them at lightning speed. Luckily, they had the good sense to duck, so the large shuriken swerved back harmlessly. As it returned to its hidden owner, a girl dropped down from the trees, looking pleased. Her hair was short, around her face, and dark. A headband was tied around her head, and her clothes were slightly revealing. On her arm, was some sort of armor, and at her side, the attacking shuriken.

_A ninja..._

Her features were all rounded, including her almond-shaped eyes, suggesting that she wasnt from this continent.

"Hey, guys," her voice was sweet, which annoyed Raye. "Ill be taking your materia now, 'kay?"

"The hell you will!" Barret yelled, shooting at her instantly. She was lithe, they soon found out, as she made a series of flips and turns which avoided every bullet.

"You're not going to make this easy..." the girl pouted.

_You're trying to be cute... and rob us at the same time?_

Raye bowed her head and cast a Bolt on the girl, which hit dead-on.

"Ow!" she yelled.

Cloud drew his sword, and slashed at the girl, only to be knocked back as she deflected the blade with her giant shuriken.

"She's not good with magic defense..." Raye muttered aloud. She repeated her action, and the girl fell onto her rear, very angry.

"Man…… I can't believe I lost!" she stood again, rubbing her backside. "… You spikey-headed jerk! One more time, let's go one more time!"

_Uh, I was the one who defeated you...?_

"Not interested," Cloud growled, pissed. He turned away from her and signaled for the others to continue.

"Thinkin' of running away? Stay and fight! FIGHT, I said! C'mon…… What's the matter? You're pretty scared of me, huh?"

_For such a small girl, she's really loud... annoying, too._

"……petrified," Cloud rolled his eyes at her.

"Hmm, just as I thought. What do you expect with my skills?" she placed her hands on her hips, looking triumphant. "If you feel up to it, we can go another around. Later! I'm really gonna leave! REALLY!"

_Please do._

"Wait a second!" Cloud turned again toward the mystery ninja, annoyed.

"What is it, you still have somethin' for me? ……Hmmm. So is that it? I know you want my help because I'm so good! You want me to go with you?" she seemed suspiciously hopeful, and she was really getting on Raye's nerves.

"Ah, no?" Raye said, but Cloud instantly followed with "Thats right."

_You idiot. What are you planning?_

"Heh heh…thought so. You put me in a spot."

The girl paced back and forth a few times, looking as if she was thinking it over. Raye turned back to Barret and Tifa and gave them a is-this-for-real look. A vein on Barrets's head was clearly visible, and Aeris sighed in a tired way.

"Hmm, what should I do? But if you want me that bad, I can't refuse… All right! I'll go with you!"

Cloud grinned, and turned around once again. "Alright. Let's hurry on."

He began walking, his back toward the ninja girl who was clearly surprised.

"Hey… HEY! Wait! I haven't even told you my name…… I'm Yuffie! Good to meetcha!"

She was grinning widely, and ran after them, like a small child who had been left behind.

"Heh heh……just as I planned. Now all I have to do is…a little this……and a little that...," Yuffie mumbled to herself in a barely audible tone. "Hey, wait up! Wait for me!"

"Were you saying something back there?" Aeris turned to her as she caught up. "I'm Aeris, by the way."

"Nope, nothing at all!" she laughed nervously and made a mental reminder not to talk to herself. "Its nice to meetcha all."

_Right..._

"Yo, I'm Barret. I don' wan' you to do _nuthin_ funny. Y'hear?" he growled, not trusting the girl.

"Cloud, why did you ask her to join us?" Raye whispered.

"I didnt, really. I just thought that she might give you your money back."

"My money...?"

"Right. About that. Here," Yuffie came up behind her and put several hundred gil into her hands. "Sorry. I swiped that from you earlier."

Raye narrowed her eyes, put the money away, and narrowed her eyes at the newcomer. Protectively, she placed her hand on the hilt of her new sword.

"Whats your name?" Yuffie smiled widely, reminding Raye of a child making new friends.

"She's Raye, and I'm Cloud." Cloud answered. "We also have a girl named Tifa and an animal called Red XIII in our group."

"Sounds great."

The next part of the journey to Junon wasnt a pleasant one. _Yuffie would not stop talking_! By the time the sunset came along, they were all ready to kill her. On the other hand, they learned that she, indeed, was a ninja, she came from Wutai, she was only sixteen and she liked small animals. She, in turn, learned a little about AVALANCHE and its members.

_I'm gonna die... that must be it. I've done something wrong in this lifetime, and I'm going to hell. I will die a slow, painful death..._

While deep in complaining to herself, Raye walked face-first into a tree. Cloud, Yuffie, and Barret laughed unkindly while Aeris helped Raye up off the floor.

"Are you okay?"

"F-fine..." Raye flushed in embarrassment and felt the bump forming on her forehead. Once again, a hand descended upon her forehead to check her temperature.

"Your fever is still pretty bad."

_Good thing they're blaming my clumsiness on my fever._

"Are we going to be there soon? Raye might collapse," she turned to Barret.

"I wont collapse!" Raye blushed deeply.

"Sure. What's a kid like you doing with a group like this?" Yuffie indicated toward Barret and Cloud.

"Kid! _You're_ the kid!" Raye growled, completely in disbelief. "I'm older than you are!"

"True. This kid's nineteen," Cloud said, finally ending his laughter. He patted her head and Raye sighed deeply, giving up.

"Hey! Junon is close!" Aeris yelled from a distance.

"Can we _please_ go now?" Raye walked away quickly, without an answer, and went to Aeris.

"I really need some rest," She muttered aloud, feeling sick again.

"We'll be there soon. You'll be alright," Aeris assured her.

_Okay, maybe Aeris is a nice person. I hope we can be friends._

"Come on, you guys!" Yuffie had caught up to them, and yelled back to Barret and Cloud.

_Oh, god... Her voice is piercing..._

Tears nearly came to Raye's eyes as the sound of Yuffie's voice hit again.

-----

Junon was nothing like expected. The city seemed tall and well-built, similar to Midgar, but

as they arrived at the lowest levels of the city, it was most certainly worse. All the houses were wooden, and broken down. The entire outskirts of the city reeked of fish, and everyone looked as though they had very low income.

"What happened to this town? It's so run-down…" Cloud breathed, shocked at the condition of the town.

"Hey, I smell ocean water!" Raye said, looking excited.

"You can?" Yuffie sniffed the air, then covered her nose. "All I smell is fish."

Raye breathed in deeply once more and nodded, "Yup. Underneath that, there's definitely sea water."

She walked forward, looking around. "Now, where's the beach?"

A little farther on into the dilapidated town, were stone steps, leading far down to water and a large construction over it.

"This way!" she ran down the stairs, happy for once.

"We're following her _why_?" Barret sighed, annoyed by the lack of maturity lately.

But, lo and behold at the bottom of the stairs, was a small beach. There was barely any sand, mostly small stones, but Raye seemed happy. She breathed deeply and smiled.

"I love the beach," she sighed.

"He-y! Mr. Dolphin! My name is……Pri-scil-la! Now you say it."

A small girl was playing, knee-deep, in the water. She wore a soft pink dress, and her brown hair was held back by a small black clip. Near her, a dolphin swam, doing tricks and squeaking in excitement.

"Hey," Raye said, walking toward her. "You shouldnt go very deep. Its dangerous."

Instead of being annoyed, or thanking her, the girl simply stared in wide-eyed fear.

"Who are you guys? Are you members of the Shinra, Inc.?" her voice quivered, and Raye felt terrible.

"No, we're not. Don't be scared," she assured her.

"No! You got it all wrong! We're fighting against the Shinra!" Barret yelled, fired up.

_You're scaring her, dummy._

"I don't believe you! Get out of here!" she backed up, a little farther into the water.

"Great…" Cloud scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to do. "We're not Shinra, little girl."

"Hey! Look out guys!" Yuffie yelled, pointing at a creature that seemed to be just a mass of tentacles. It rose from the water, head first, giving Raye a feeling of fear because it was similar to the snake from the marsh. A single tentacle came from the thrashing water and wrapped itself around Priscilla. She screamed and was instantly pulled under.

"Hey! Hold on, we've coming!" Cloud took his sword out of its large sheath and beat off some of the tentacles coming toward him. Aeris, Yuffie, and Barret went back-to-back with him, also fighting the tentacles.

"Shit! Where's the princess?"

"Raye!"

She ran towards the water, diving in immediately. "RAYE!" Cloud yelled after her.

Of course, Raye heard nothing underwater. She almost instantly regretted the decision; the monster was several times larger beneath the water. Priscilla was struggling for air as she was pulled much deeper into the water. With strong kicks, and smart maneuvering, she made it to her. Priscilla's eyes were fearful and seemed to beg for help. Raye drew the sword she had bought earlier, and clumsily slashed through the water. It was slow, and did very little damage, but the monster reacted. The small cut on the tentacle retracted, it released the girl, and slunk away quietly. Raye pulled Priscilla toward herself and pointed up. Priscilla nodded, and swam upwards while Raye tried to fight off the other tentacles that came toward her. Bright lights ensued above her, and she saw blurry figures moving.

_I need some air soon._

Keeping sword in hand, she kicked her legs as hard as she could to reach the surface. A slimy, cold tentacle wrapped itself around her ankle in defiance and pulled her roughly down.

_No! I need air!_

A second tentacle came toward her face, and Raye, panicking, slashed at it clumsily with the sword. It broke through her attacks, and attacked her neck, squeezed roughly. Raye cried out in pain, releasing a flood of air bubbles. She hacked away at the appendage, but she was weak and her lungs were filling with water. She looked up towards the surface, to see Priscilla making it out safely.

_Great, now if I can just get this thing off me..._

She weakly sliced at another tentacle that came toward her, and the grip on her neck increased, forcing her body to look for air. Her mouth instinctively opened, gasping, and she swallowed mouthfuls of water. The flood of bubbles increased, and Raye could feel herself losing touch with her body. It was all she could do to keep the blade in her hand, and attempt to block an incoming attack. They made contact, and the metal shattered into several shards the flew into many directions. There was a loud shriek that echoed through the air and water, hurting Raye's ears. The mass that enveloped her let go and shrunk away, a thick red cloud of blood floated through the water. Raye closed her eyes, letting the hilt slide through her fingers, and the waved carry her body. She felt cold now, and it was a relief from the fever she had just a little while ago. It wasnt a comfortable cold, either. She was numb, and felt that she couldn't move her body if she tried. Her lungs and throat burned from the salt water, and her eyes blurred. She was floating, floating...

"Where is she?" Barret yelled, searching the water. "We killed it, di'n' we?"

Priscilla looked worried, too, as she stayed in Aeris' comforting arms. Tears flowed down her face from fear and shock.

"Damn, the water's murky from the blood," Cloud cursed. _I cant see her._

He dropped his sword and ran to the edge of the water, which was almost completely opaque. A shining object caught his eye and he picked it up. After wiping the blood from it, he recognized it as the decorated hilt of Raye' sword, a small piece of the dull metal remaining. Cursing again, he dived in after her. After a small distance, the water was instantly deep. Floating everywhere were torn remains of the monster they had battled. The blood and salt stung Cloud's eyes, but he continued searching. Much farther in, Raye's body was floating among several dismembered tentacles. He reached her limp body, and found that she didnt respond. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to shore. He reached it quickly, gasping as he threw himself and Raye onto the warm sand. Aeris and Barret rushed over, trying to help.

"Raye, open your eyes!" Aeris gave her a series of gentle slaps across the face. "This is bad…you don't think she's dead, do you?"

A man came behind them, carrying Priscilla. He was past middle age, with torn clothes, wrinkles and a moustache. He bent down beside Raye, and pressed his ear to her left side.

"She's not breathing…"

"Who are you?" Barret asked, alert.

"Priscilla's father," he answered quickly then returned his gaze to Raye. "She needs CPR. Young man, you should do it."

Surprised, Cloud flushed a soft red, "Mouth to mouth?"

"You're wasting time! Just do it!" the man yelled.

Cloud nodded and leaned forward towards her, nervous.

"You don't know how? Just take a deep breath, hold it in. Then breathe into her. Hurry up and do it!"

Cloud did so, several times, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Do it again."

Cloud pressed his lips to Raye's giving her the entire breath in his lungs. Instantly after, the old man pushed roughly down on Raye's chest. She turned over and coughed painfully, expelling several mouthfuls of water.

"Do it again," the man repeated. Once more, Cloud breathed into Raye, this time she opened her eyes a little, trying to awaken.

Raye blinked, her eyes not even opened fully. She didnt comprehend where she was right away. She could breathe now, painfully, and the sun bothered her salt-encrusted face.

"She should be fine now," the man stood, picking up Priscilla once again. "She should get some rest. There's an old lady who runs an inn near the entrance of the town. I'll b by later to thank her."

He turned an ascended the stairs with his daughter, leaving AVALANCHE a little confused.

"She must have saved that girl," Barret realized.

"Raye, say something," Cloud ordered, still hovering above her.

"Ah...?" she managed. She tried to move her hand to cover her eyes, but all she accomplished was a twitch.

"Let's get to that inn," Aeris suggested.

------------

The room was dimly lit, for the curtains were closed. It was only one room, but several beds. She helped herself up, making the room spin.

"You must be crazy."

"Huh?" Raye looked toward the nearest wall, where Cloud was leaning.

"What makes you jump into the water with a monster?" he sounded angry.

She felt it, and lowered her gaze to the sheets. "I couldn't let her drown. I'm a strong swimmer, anyway."

"Do you realize you almost died?"

"Yeah."

He walked over, his stride strong with anger. He sat at the edge of her bed and repeated himself, "You almost _died._"

"It was my fault, anyway. The sword broke," she avoided his gaze.

"I know. I found the hilt," he reached behind the bed and showed it to her.

"I'm sorry."

Cloud wanted stay silent, but forcefully said more. "Its my fault you were hurt. I shouldnt have let you buy it."

He stared at the ceiling, thinking of what happened just recently.

"_This came for you."_ _The old woman who owned the inn handed Barret a letter. "This has been forwarded a few times. It's addressed to 'Raye'. Is it yours?"_

_Barret nodded and opened the letter, reading it quickly._

"_What does it say?" Cloud asked._

"_Its from her hometown. From someone called 'Lillith'. She says that everything's going to hell over there."_

"_Thats terrible," Aeris whispered._

_Yuffie remained the loud one, complaining that she didnt understand what was going on._

"_We have to tell her," Aeris said. "Maybe news of her home will make her feel better."_

"_Not this," Barret held up the letter as proof. "She'll just get worse if she hears this."_

"_As long as she doesnt really know, she'll be fine. So we'll lie and not show her the letter."_

_The three looked at Cloud in surprise._

"_I guess that's all we can do for her."_

"A letter came for you today," Cloud said.

"Huh?"

Cloud nodded and avoided her eyes. "It was sent by someone named Lillith. She says that things have improved over there."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

She hugged him and thanked him over and over. Cloud was shocked, and didnt know what to do. Raye quickly drew back, blushing, and apologized.

"I'm just really happy to hear that."

"It's alright. Just get some more rest, okay? We're going up to the city later. Oh, and Tifa and Red XIII are back."

"Thanks so much, Cloud," she smiled, and lay back on the pillow. "And, um, before you go... what happened in the water?"

He was by the door, halfway through. He turned back and smiled at her. "You lost consciousness. You were drowning. Priscilla's father told us you needed CPR."

Fearing the answer, she asked, "Who did it?"

"I did."

In the same instant, she threw a pillow at him and screamed, "I hate you!"

He left quickly, complaining about how he _shouldnt _have saved her. As the door closed behind him, he looked up at the city, sighed, and left to walk about the outskirts.

_Stupid jerk. Stealing my first kiss..._

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Whoo! Not super-happy with this chapter, but thats OH-KAY! CRITIQUES ARE STRONGLY WELCOMED!


	13. Welcome to Costa del Sol

Thanks again and again and again. -happy-

**Long Winded**- Thanks so much, your reviews are some of the nicest ones I've gotten

**Rebellious_- _**Same goes for you. Thanks for being a loyal follower, and your criticism is welcomed always.

Onward, next chapter!

(P.S.- I'm losing interest! I need some sort of inspiration! School has sucked me dry!)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day passed quietly, without anymore monster interruptions or fighting. This, of course couldn't _possibly_ last very long, and it didnt. The silence was interrupted with an explosion, a crash, and lots and lots of yelling.

"_Get out_!" came Raye's shriek.

There was a crash, and Yuffie screamed. A thump, and a door slam.

Tifa and Cloud, who were the only other ones at the inn, rushed to the bathroom door, where Yuffie sat, looking shocked.

"What happened?" Tifa asked.

"I walked into the bathroom, and Raye freaked," Yuffie's voice trembled from fear.

"You're not serious," Cloud sighed.

The door slammed open, revealing a soaking-wet Raye in a bathrobe. She was absolutely livid, and it showed on her crimson face.

"What were you doing? I said 'don't come into the bathroom'," he voice was low and dangerous.

"I just wanted to pee!" Yuffie said as she scrambled behind Tifa.

"I told you all _not_ to come in!" she waved a hairbrush threateningly before slamming the door shut.

"She sure is lively today..." Tifa muttered, slightly shocked. "She must be over her fever."

"She's giving me a headache," Cloud moaned unhappily. "I'm gonna get some rest."

"I've still gotta pee!" Yuffie yelled, hopping in place.

Tifa sighed and told Raye to hurry up before leaving to go for a walk.

------------------------

"Hey wake up. Wake up, Cloud!"

Cloud was instantly awakened to see Tifa standing above him. He shook his blond head, trying to focus, and sat up.

"Bad dreams?" she asked.

Cloud shook his head to clear the thoughts of Nibelheim and what occurred there several years ago. "Something like that. What's going on?"

"Something seems strange outside," she motioned for him to follow her out of the small cottage. Cloud stretched his limbs and left as well. There certainly was something strange going on outside. For one thing, there were no gloomy people walking around the small town. The streets were completely bare. Another thing was some music that was coming from far away. It was lively, like a parade, with many flutes, whistles, and drums. Tifa shrugged when he gave her a questioning glance, and she walked down the stone steps to the small beach where they saved Priscilla only a few hours before. There, on the small patch of sand, were the rest of AVALANCHE, Priscilla included. Upon arrival, he was greeted by the small girl, who was blushing.

"Umm…thanks for helping fight the monster… I'm sorry, I mistook you for one of those Shinra, Inc.…" she stared at the floor, fidgeting. "I'll give you something SPECIAL! It's an amulet. Take good care of it, okay?"

She pressed a small red (?) materia into his hand and ran off, back to Raye.

"What's that music, Priscilla? It sure sounds lively," Raye asked the girl kindly. It seemed that the noise was coming from beyond the metal structure on the water. Tops of tall buildings were visible against the darkening sky, along with lights and fireworks.

"I heard that they're having reception for the new Shinra president in the city," Priscilla replied, following everyone's gaze.

"Rufus? I gotta pay my respects," Barret said with a hint of malice and glee mixed together. "Grandpa and grandma told me this beach was beautiful when they were small. But after the Shinra built that city above, the sun stopped shining here, and the water got polluted… I was raised on that story and hate Shinra so much, I could die!" Priscilla's voice turned sad, almost like she was mourning the past.

"You think Rufus is thinking about crossing the ocean from here, too?" Aeris turned to Cloud.

"What? Does that mean Sephiroth already crossed the ocean?" was Tifa's surprised exclamation.

"Cloud, didn't you finish Rufus off?" was Red XIII's.

"We gotta get to the town up there… Mebbe we could climb the tower?" Barret ignored all three of them and walked into the water, toward the towers.

"No! No! There's a high voltage current running underneath the tower. Don't wander near it, it's dangerous! But…you might be able to if Mr. Dolphin helps you," Priscilla smiled and took out a whistle from the pocket of her bright yellow dress.

"I'll do this one!" Raye punched the air excitedly.

"Have you lost your mind, girl?" Barret yelled at the obvious idiot.

"Not at all!" Raye growled fiercely. "While you guys were relaxing, I was training with Yuffie."

Behind her, Yuffie nodded saying, "Yeah. She's pretty good at jumping around and stuff."

Simultaneously, heads turned toward Raye, who looked very excited.

"Has almost dying gotten to your head or something?" Barret commented.

"No," Raye said simply, smiling and stretching her arms behind her head.

"Are you crazy?" Cloud grabbed her elbow roughly and stared her in the eye.

Raye calmly wrenched out of his grasp and stared at the water.

"No. But being that close to death has opened my eyes," she shifted her glance to Cloud. "If you're worried, you can go first."

He walked into the water and yelled over his shoulder, "I liked you better when you were sick! You were a lot _quieter_ and _less annoying_!"

Raye followed him, steaming. AVALANCHE stood, waiting for chaos to erupt. Aeris sighed and placed her hand on her hips. "Don't we have something important to do?"

Tifa's eyebrow twitched in slight annoyance as the yelling began, "They wont stop, will they?"

"No, if you can go up there, then I can too!" she yelled.

"It's too dangerous!" This time, his eyes weren't angry from her disobedience. They seemed full of concern, or maybe she was just imagining it.

"Go on, then. Go first."

Cloud returned to Priscilla, collected the whistle, and returned to the water.

"You're impossible," he sighed.

She ignored him and pointed at the tower. "There's the ladder. On either side are the electrical wires, okay?"

He nodded and blew the whistle, and was instantly thrown into the air. Surprised, he missed the metal bars and landed back in the water with a thunderous splash. Raye could help giggling, and picked up the whistle that floated towards her. She watched him struggle to get to the surface. Raye gently ran her fingertips through the water, feeling a small tinge of fear. She smiled, trying to regain confidence in the water that she loved so dearly.

"It's not dangerous," she muttered. Glancing up at the tower, she shifted her position. She moved a little closer, then blew the whistle. There was a strong rush under her boots as Mr. Dolphin pushed her into the air. Tightening her slightly aching muscles, she propelled her self forward in a flip. Her fingers grazed a bar, and missed, sending panic into her mind. She was very close to the wires that crackled with energy.

"Ah!"

She began falling, but managed to grab the bar below, painfully sending spasms through her wrist. She hung there for a few moments, then smiled again, "I did it."

"Hey, I DID IT!" She yelled down to her team members.

"Great job! Its because you had a teacher like _me_!" Yuffie returned.

Raye grinned widely and threw the bell down to an irritated Cloud. She poked her tongue out at him and reached upwards to grab the bar with her other hand. She reached the top of the metal tower with ease, and felt a huge rush that she mentally labeled 'success'.

"If only I could level up from this," she sighed to herself. Raye cautiously watched Cloud try and fail to get to the ladder many times. After what seemed like hours, he made it to the top, soaking wet and tired.

"You okay?" she had a mischievous look on her face.

"Shut up," he gasped, shaking his head and getting her slightly damp as well. He took the black, phone-like PHS from his pocket (which was miraculously dry XD) and dialed a number. Below, on the beach, Tifa picked up her phone.

"Tifa, meet us at Junon Harbor," and he snapped the phone shut. Taking the silver whistle from his pocket, he threw it to their direction and walked ahead of Raye.

"Get moving," he told her. "There's an airport somewhere up here."

-----------------------

They climbed further in silence, until they reached Junon Airport. It was empty, with only a few large aircrafts scattered on the terminal. At the end of the long air field, Raye spotted a tall, grey building with many windows. Upon entering said building, they noticed that there were many SOLDIERS walking around in blue uniform. They peeked around a corner, where one SOLDIER

stood by a window and watched the airships outside.

"Cloud, we'll be caught. What'll we do?"

"There's gotta be a locker room around here. We'll take some uniforms."

He looked around. There was one door opposite the one they had just come through, one straight in front of them, down the hall, and one behind them. They couldnt go to the door in front of them, or they'd be caught by the SOLDIER by the window. Cloud quickly decided on the door behind them, and dragged Raye inside. Surely enough there were lockers on all four walls, and some benches in the center.

Cloud slammed each door open hurriedly, and threw a rough, blue uniform at Raye, "Get dressed. Hurry up."

Raye looked down at the uncomfortable-looking fabric in her hands, then back at Cloud. "Then get out."

"Grow up," he growled. "Just put it over what you're wearing. Someone might come in at any moment, so move!"

_He's really irritable today..._

Raye sighed, and wrapped the long part of the skirt around her waist, filling out her slim figure, and making her breasts seem almost non-existent. Raye realized her impression of the clothes were correct. Once they were on, she felt heavy and itchy. It consisted of blue pants that were tucked into her boots, a blue shirt with buttons at the collar, and a hat/mask. Cloud had already finished dressing, and was propped up against the wall in annoyance. In his hands was the mask that was the last part of the SOLDIER uniform.

_He looks handsome..._

Raye smiled to herself as the last of the buttons were finished.

"How does it feel to be back in uniform?"

He shrugged and avoided her eyes. "I dunno."

She picked up her mask and placed it on her head, and wrapped the flap across her mouth. "What about me?"

Cloud stood straight again, and grinned, "You're going to have to be a man for a little while."

She stared for a moment, "What?"

He placed his mask over his face. "Most women don't become SOLDIERS. Its rare. You'll be found out right away. Also, most of these guys have been in training so long, they havent seen a young girl in a while...," a perverted grin crossed his face and a glint in his eye was visible.

Raye couldnt help but feel that he had planned it, but didnt let her anger show. She deepened her voice and spoke, "Like this?"

A laugh. "You sound like you have a cold, but that'll do, I guess."

The door opened and a middle-aged man in a red SOLDIER uniform, who was sweaty and stressed-looking.

"Today's the big day when we welcome President Rufus! What the hell are you doing just standing here?" his voice was on the edge, and he acted as though he yelled often.

"Sorry, sir," Raye said with a deep, fake voice.

"Whats wrong with your voice?"

"Ah, cold, sir," she blushed, and Cloud stepped up to hide her girly-ness.

"Uh, what are we doing again, Commander?" Cloud seemed to recognize the man, or maybe it was just his uniform.

"You don't remember the Greeting procedure? …the look on your face says you forgot. All right, I'll show you again! Do just like we do."

He blew a whistle, creating a sharp sound that hurt everyone's ears. Two low-ranking SOLDIERS entered the room, carrying long rifles.

"Commander! We'll help too! This is how to do it!" said one.

The two SOLDIERS nodded and began to sing and march in unison. Raye's heart sank for the thought of having to do what the obviously-gay SOLDIERS were doing.

"Good! Make sure you do that well at the real parade!" the Commander barked at them.

A third SOLDIER entered the tiny locker room in a frenzy.

"Rufus has arrived! Preparation completed!" the small man squeaked.

"All right, show time! Don't disgrace yourselves!" the Commander ordered roughly.

_I'll mess this up... _Raye thought with exaggerated tears in her eyes.

Cloud and all the other SOLDIERS went outside, with Raye following, and the Commander directly behind her. The halls were empty, and Raye felt nervous. Cloud walked straight and confidently, but she felt small and anxious.

_Where is everyone? Did they find us out? Is it a trap?_ Her mind spun endlessly with scenarios. Her mind didnt come back into focus until the group had reached a long, wide street with tall skyscrapers on either side. There were banners that proclaimed the greatness of Rufus and the entire Shinra company. The lively music that had disappeared inside the airforce building, now was louder, but muffled as if it had moved away.

"No…! No one's here! Late---? Hey, Rookie! It's because you were late!" he yelled directly into Raye's face, his face turning purple and the veins in his temples stuck out. She did her best to keep a straight face, but it was difficult. She was grateful when one SOLDIER shouted out.

"Captain! We'll take a short cut!" he ran to the buildings, where there was a space between buildings. One by one they walked through to the other street, where the music was loud, and a parade was in session.

"All right! Just sneak into the lines! You first!" One of the rifle-carrying SOLDIERS ran into the back of a group of parading SOLDIERS, cocked his gun, and marched in time with them as if he was there the entire time.

"Now listen up! This parade's gonna be broadcast live on Shinra TV, around the world! If you look bad, the whole Junon army will look bad. Remember that and don't screw up! OK! Jump in when I give you the sign! Just sneak in from the back! Don't mess up the row! And no matter what you do don't try to go in from the front! All right! Start Marching!" the Commander rattled off, then pushed Cloud and Raye into the open. Raye stood stock-still from shock, but was dragged into the lines by Cloud, while the live broadcasters made derogatory remarks. She could hear the Commander swearing and cursing them as they proceeded.

"What the hell was that soldier doing?"

"I don't know," answered the second reporter, laughing.

Later, Cloud, Raye and a few other SOLDIERS were lined up by the main Shinra building.

An angry-looking Commander stood before them, glaring silently. To his side was the bearded man Raye recognized as Heidegger. Behind them, Rufus appeared and approached the SOLDIERS.

"Oh! President Rufus! Hey! SOLDIERS! Line up and shut up!"

"How's the job?" Rufus asked the Commander as he flipped some blond hair from his eyes. His double-breasted white suit was spotless and shone in the bright sunlight.

_This guy..._ she moaned mentally, thinking about how prissy the President must be.

"The long range airship is still being prepared. It should be ready in about three more days. Gya haa haa!" came Heideggar's gruff, annoying laugh.

"Even the Air Force's Gelnika?"

"……Gya haa haa!" continued the little man. Raye sincerely wished to pummel the grown man that was smaller than she was.

"Stop that stupid horse laugh. Things are different than when father was in charge," Rufus snapped.

Raye smiled to herself. Rufus just scored a point in Raye's mental scoreboard.

"Is the ship ready?"

"Yes sir," Heidegger answered quickly. "We'll get it ready soon."

Rufus and Heidegger left to take the elevator up into a building.

The SOLDIERS broke into whispers amongst themselves, and Raye listened in.

"What a disaster."

"The man in the Black Cape's been roaming the city, but we can't find him."

"Yeah, he showed up two or three says ago, and killed a few of our soldiers."

"Really?"

"There's a rumor going around that it was Sephiroth."

Cloud laughed at them, hiding his serious undertone.

"Attention! Dismissed!" he said to the men. "Hey! Hey you! You messing with the army?"

"Who cares?" he folded his arms across his chest.

"No, he's not. _Sir_," Raye cut in.

"You're both too lazy! No break for you! Get over here!" He led the two into the locker room once more and make them practice rifle drills.

_I hate you, Cloud._

She couldnt hold onto the gun well, and dropped it often.

"This is the military, soldier! Your orders for today are to send off President Rufus at the dock! I'll keep drilling you until it's time! Now move!" he screamed at her. Raye resisted the urge to set him ablaze.

"Let's try it," he nodded to the other SOLDIERS. "Military Send Off, BEGIN!" The soldiers perform the send-off, with Raye and Cloud sloppily following.

"Commander! What's today's special pose?" one man asked, excited.

_What...?_

"Huh? …I haven't decided yet. All right, rookie! I'll let you decide! Show me your best move!" the Commander barked.

Cloud thought for a moment and swung the rifle around, like he had done with his sword before.

"Woo----ow! That's awesome!" a SOLDIER said.

"All right! We'll go with that as today's special! Practice it!"

"Yes sir!"

"Well then! Meet at the dock! Don't be late! Attention! Dismissed!" he left the room, leaving the two excited young men practicing Cloud's stupid victory pose. Raye let her head drop and sighed deeply.

_This sucks. Thats so stupid._

Eventually, the two young SOLDIERS decided that it was time to go to the docks, so they led Cloud and Raye there.

Upon arriving at the dock, the Commander greeted them with his usual barking of orders. They were to line up beside the open hatch of a large cargo ship that awaited at the port.

"All right, it's time! Ten… HUT!"

They lined up accordingly with their rifles and waited Rufus' arrival. His blond head soon appeared through a door, walking toward the boat that awaited with Heidegger following. The SOLDIERS began their send off as enthusiastically as they could, with the exception of Raye, who could barely muster the energy to do the send-off, let alone with enthusiasm. They finished quickly with cocked rifles and simultaneous salutes.

"Well done. Keep up the good work for Shinra, Inc," Rufus said, flashing a charming smile.

As they boarded the boat, Raye caught pieces of their conversation.

"Once the world gets out that Sephiroth's here, Cloud and his friends will show up, too. We can't have them get in our way."

"Leave it up to me, sir! Gya haa haa!"

"I thought I told you to stop that stupid laugh…"

They boarded the ship without another word (or stupid laugh) and the SOLDIERS were dismissed.

"Heidegger's been really edgy lately. Because Hojo disappeared leaving a letter of resignation," one man said to Cloud.

"Heidegger's been forced to take care of that investigation, too," said another. The two were interrupted by the Commander, who called them over to yell about something. Cloud took the opportunity, grabbed Raye's hand and dragged her onboard as well.

"Wait, where's the ship going?" Raye asked him, as they hid behind large crates in the bottom floor. The sunlight slowly disappeared as the door was closed and the ship started moving. Panic. She felt it immediately.

_We're leaving the continent,_ she realized. _I cant go home._

"Listen, we'll cross the ocean, to the new continent. …even if we are wearing Shinra's uniforms…"

"We cant! I have to go home!"

"Calm down. We need to follow Sephiroth right now. I'll get you home soon, okay?"

"You promise?" she asked, sounding like a small child.

"Yeah. Now lets find the others. They're supposed to be on the ship."

-------

Being the tired, pampered princess she was, Raye couldnt help but wander into the resting room for a short nap. That lasted the entire trip, meaning she missed out on Sephiroth's grand appearance. She was (very rudely) awakened by a sailor-suit wearing Barret when the time came to leave the ship. She quickly stripped off the uncomfortable uniform and walked out of the ship as she listened to the story of the Sephiroth encounter. Before she could comment, a blast of warm air and shining sun beat down upon her.

"Gah! Its so hot! Where are we?"

As if to answer her stupid question, they simultaneously turned toward a large sign that read, 'Welcome to Costa del Sol'.

"Whoops...," she laughed nervously and fanned herself.

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What a weak ending. I do apologize...


	14. Letters from the Heart

Wewt. I'm pleased with my reviews, but may I ask you to tell your friends about this?

-laugh-

I'm getting a little greedy. Or maybe I'm just worried about future flames.

Once again, **sorry about the delays between updates. **I have school, this fanfiction, and a webcomic to keep up with. Oh, joy. Enough ranting.

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Raye uncomfortably stretched her legs as she and Aeris waited for the rest of AVALANCHE to sneak from the bustling airport to the quieter city. She leaned against the railing and looked out from the golden-painted bridge, where they were waiting, to the sea in the near distance. The sun shone unendingly and there wasnt a cloud to be seen anywhere. It bothered Raye. As stupid as it sounded, it _wasnt _the same sun that illuminated her home so beautifully. It just _wasnt._ She felt so small, alone. She was so far from Arainiel now, and she was caught up in something she didnt quite understand. It scared her thoroughly. What did she have to do with Sephiroth? Or the Planet, for that matter. A few days ago, she didnt know any better and wouldnt have lost a moment of sleep over any of it. Now she slept with nightmares of a faceless figure, destroying the Planet, setting a town aflame...

"Raye?"

She stopped inspecting her nails and looked up at the sound of Aeris' voice. Stepping back, she answered, "Yeah, I'm coming."

"Are you alright?"

_Please stop asking me..._

She flushed, feeling as though she was being treated like a glass doll or something similar. She nodded quickly and folded her hands behind her back.

"So, um, what now?"

"Someone said somethin' about Hojo being on vacation 'round here," Barret answered. He crossed his beefy arms across his chest and glared at the floor. "We'd better find him."

There was a collective nod in agreement, but no one made any movements to go anywhere. There was an uncomfortable silence, and Raye felt stupid for not understanding it. It must have had to do with Sephiroth being on the same ship and making a grand appearance.

"Um, shouldn't we go?" her small voice broke the silence, and started the group in motion.

They walked together down the stairs, past a villa for sale, until they stood in front of a bar. The door stood open, inviting anyone in, to go down the stairs, have a few drinks, then maybe into a back room. If you had a lot of cash on you, of course. They all looked around them independently. Girls in skimpy bathing suits were _everywhere._ Raye couldnt decide whether she wanted to blush and turn away or yell at them for wearing such revealing clothes. The worst part was that they swished their hair and flirted mercilessly. Tifa, Aeris, and Yuffie had to remind the guys to get their heads out of the gutter on more than one occasion.

"Where are we going now? There are a lot of places to check. Cloud?" Raye snapped her finger in front of his face and his attention snapped back to her irritated expression.

"Could you stop looking at the girls for _one minute_, please?" she grumbled. "We should split up, now pick your team!"

He distractedly called Aeris to come with him and told the others where he would be.

"I'll go check out the beach."

_You sneaky little..._

Barret and Red XIII didnt seem to notice as they left to search the other part of Costa del Sol with Tifa and Yuffie.

-----------

Raye trailed behind Cloud and Aeris, staring at the gorgeous villa-style buildings. They were all painted the same golden-yellow color, with large windows and stone walls. She felt a wave of nostalgia come over her again. Crossing her arms, she continued forward while staring at the ground. When the smell of salt water finally wafted toward her nose, she looked up. There was a great expanse of white sand and clear, blue water. Except for the sunbathers and surfers, Raye felt at home. It was nearly the same as the beach, which she so often went to, to escape from paperwork and lessons.

"Isnt that Hojo, over there?" Aeris asked, pointing. She was right. The creepy old man was the only one on the beach wearing a lab coat. Raye shuddered at the very thought of why he might still be dressed in full scientific garb. Worse yet, he was surrounded by giggling girls in bikinis. Another shudder went through her as they approached. A blonde, with large breasts that werent sufficiently covered, stopped them.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk with that man," Cloud answered, keeping his composure,

"Professor, that scary man says he wants to talk with you," she sighed to him. Hojo, on the other hand, didnt seem bothered. He adjusted his black sunglasses, stretched, and said, "I'm busy right now."

Annoyed, Raye kicked sand onto his face, causing him to cough and sputter. He returned her unfriendly look with one of his own.

"No, I remember you all now…… Yes, yes. I remembered now. It's been a long time, Cloud."

"……What are you doing?"

"It should be obvious, I'm getting a tan."

"Answer me!" Cloud sounded dead-serious.

Hojo wasnt scared, "Hmm! I believe we're both after the same goal."

"You mean Sephiroth?"

"Did you see him? I see…… Ha! Ha! Cloud: What is it?"

"Nothing. I just remembered a certain hypothesis…… Haven't you ever had the feeling something is calling you? Or that you had to visit some place? ……" Hojo seemed to be in a very dreamy state while Raye mentally questioned his sanity.

"I'll go anywhere Sephiroth is at! To beat him and put an end to all this!"

"I see…… This could be interesting. Were you in SOLDIER? ……Heh heh heh!" he laughed strangely and turned to Raye. "Would you like to be my guinea pig?"

Cloud drew his large sword instantly and placed it threateningly between them.

"Stop, Cloud! I know how you feel, but you mustn't fight now," Aeris placed a hand on his shoulder ans squeezed it gently.

"……Say aren't you the 'Ancient'?"

"I'm Aerith. The least you can do is remember my name, Professor Hojo… I know I'm an Ancient. My mother told me."

"Your mother? Oh, you mean Infalna. How is she?" he spoke as though it were a casual conversation between two friends who had not seen each other in a very long time.

"She died."

"Hojo… Is Jenova an Ancient? Is Sephiroth an Ancient? Do they all have the same blood?" Raye broke in, trying to piece together the information she had.

Hojo sighed, replaced his glasses, and stretched out on the chair once more. "…head west……"

Feeling that they weren't going to get anything else out of him, Cloud motioned for the girls to leave with him.

-----------

Within minutes, they caught up with the other AVALANCHE members and revealed what little information they got from Hojo.

"Maybe we should go west," Yuffie mused. "I mean, there's no where else to go from here. There are mountains, and if we go west, we'll find the path to cross them."

"Yeah. Before we go, I wanna check for mail," Barret said in a slightly embarrassed tone.

Tifa and Aeris nodded in understanding, while Cloud growled, "Hurry up."

"I'll go, too."

Raye followed the large man to the end of town, where a small beach shack stood, labeled 'Shoreside Inn'.

Behind a desk was a fat man, in a stupid Hawaiian-pineapple-print shirt. He smiled as they entered.

"One room or two?"

"We're wondering if you have any forwarded mail?" Raye asked. "For Barret or Raye?"

"Lemme check," the man grumbled and went into the back room.

Raye looked up at Barret. The man who previously towered over her, now stood at the counter slouching with an unreadable expression.

"I hope you have some mail from Marlene," Raye said softly.

"Yeah. Me too."

Something passed between them. Something that Raye didnt know how to label. It could have been 'understanding', like Aeris and Tifa felt. Or maybe something closer, that might not have a name... Just the feeling of hope. Hope that loved ones were safe. Hope that there would be something in the ink and paper that would help them go on in a mission that had no clear path or end.

The innkeeper returned, shrugging. "Nope. Nuthin. I'll make sure to send it to the next town if I get any."

Raye thanked him and walked out with Barret. He moved slowly, as if his entire being felt heavy. She, too, felt remorse... but couldnt imagine what it was like to not hear from your own children. She gently patted the gun-arm that was at his side.

"She'll be fine."

Raye certainly sounded determined, but really, she had no more of a clue than Barret did. It was just hard to watch a strong man's entire stature crumbled before her eyes. Barret was silent for a moment, looking at her squarely. Then he stood to full (huge) height and grinned.

"I thought you were scared 'o me."

Raye returned his smile and laughed, "No reason to be."

They laughed weakly as they returned to the bridge where the others waited. This was the first time that she spoke to Barret, and even though it wasnt much, she felt like she understood him a little better.

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No surprise, but Cloud made another decision without the consent of the entire group. A woman at the information booth convinced him that 'he was tired' and 'he needed a break.' He'looked like he had some money to spend', so he was going to make everyone make the trip across Mt. Corel, to Corel town, then finally to the Gold Saucer. Raye was too excited to be annoyed. The Gold Saucer! Joel had told her a few (dirty) stories about he trip there. Without the sex and drinking, it seemed like a great place to finally see. She couldnt contain her excitement and let out a strong 'whoo-hoo!' The stares turned to her and she laughed nervously.

"... I wanna see the Gold Saucer," she flushed and they laughed.

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Short Chapter... I know!! XO

Don't hurt me!

Reviews and Love appreciated.


	15. Sins of the Past

**Rebellious-** (LAUGH) Oh, sorry! I didnt _want_ you to expect fluff. Yes, shame on me... I don't want fluff just yet! Im so afraid of flames!!

I'm sorry for the long hiatus! I have had NO INSPIRATION WHATSOEVER. That might reflect in this chapter; you have been warned. Contrary to popular belief, I **am** still alive.

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The trip to Corel wasnt pleasant, but Raye found it more bearable than any other in-between-towns trip. The sun brightly indicated that it was the afternoon as they walked along the mountain range, chatting amongst themselves. Yuffie had become particularly interested in Arainiel and begged to hear about it incessantly. Raye shook her head and changed the subject, not wanting to feel the sting of tears in her eyes. Yuffie shrugged and commented on Raye's obvious need for improvement. Acrobatic and muscle-building tips were exchanged in an attempt to further the princess's independent development. Raye seemed excited as she listened intently to her 'teacher'.

After a while, all moods turned serious as the land became increasingly rocky and steep as their altitude increased. The mountain range wasnt particularly tall, but jagged and dangerous. Little did they know the other dangers that awaited them once they reached Corel town.

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Raye felt a chill run up her spine as she entered the dusty town. It was in worse condition that the slums of Midgar. Tents replaced houses, and dust and rock were all that could be seen in the town. All town members were in ragged clothes, but their stares pierced through their dirty faces. A few men were so bold as to purposefully knock into them.

"Hey!" Raye yelled, annoyed at the man that had just pushed past her roughly.

"Got somethin t'say?"

At his agitated expression, Raye backed off and Cloud stepped up with an equally livid look.

"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with this town? You don't like newcomers or something?"

A look was shot to Barret.

"Never thought I'd ever see your face again," he addressed Barret. "Those people over here, they with you? Well, I feel sorry for 'em! Hangin' around a walkin' death sentence."

"You got a lot of balls comin' back here! Look at this place! It's all your fault North Corel turned into a garbage heap!" another man stepped up and yelled at Barret.

"Whats going on?" Raye asked him, but received no answer.

"Why doncha say something!? Or did ya forget what you done here already?"

"…I'm sorry…" Barret said in a low, guilty tone.

They swore loudly, their curses were the likes of which some of them had never heard before, and walked away toward the group of tents that were scattered across the dusty land.

"You heard 'em… It's my fault this town was…destroyed…Les' just go," Barret seemed distracted as he looked from one face to another. "There's a ropeway around here."

He didnt reveal a word to them until they were safely on the ropeway car, and on their way to the Gold Saucer. He let himself drop onto a seat that was torn and has stuffing poking out. Barret was silent for a while, and his teammates awaited his story with anticipation.

"My hometown used to be around here. It ain't here no more. Heard it got buried…in just four years."

"But how could those people say those terrible things?" Aeris asked.

It happened that Shinra's evil deeds spread farther than Raye could imagine. Here, on the West continent, Shinra had sent his troops to this small town, and destroyed it with his industrial greed. Raye's mind wandered off as Barret's gruff tone continued the story. How long would it take until his influence reached her home? Maybe it already had, and she just didnt see it yet. Mentally berating herself, she clenched her fists in her lap.

_I need to get back before Shinra gets there. I cant let this happen to Arainiel._

She turned her head to look out the window and noticed that the red ropeway tram had taken off without her express consent and they were already too high above the ground for comfort. Raye whirled her head around and stared at her lap uncomfortably. Cloud, who sat beside her, noticed her spazz attack and shook his head.

"...an explosion at a reactor. Shinra blamed the accident on the people. Said it was done by a rebel faction. But more than Shinra, I couldn't forgive myself. Never should've gone along with the building of the reactor…" Barret continued his story.

"Don't blame yourself. We were all fooled by the promises Shinra made back then," Tifa assured gently.

"That's why…that's why I get so pissed off!! Not only did they take advantage of me…… But I lost my wife, Myrna, too… Dyne was my best friend. We was close ever since we was kids…," Barret trailed off, lost in his thoughts.

Raye had the urge to say something comforting, but no words came. What could she say? What could anyone say? This disaster had already happened . Saying 'its going to be okay' wouldnt only be stupid, it would probably make him feel all the worse. Once again talking to the thoughts in her head, she stayed silent.

---------------------------

Raye was rudely awakened by someone's endless poking and prodding. She slapped the hand away and rubbed her eyes sleepily. The tram had stopped, she noticed, and her teammates were already exiting. Cloud poked her once again, looking highly annoyed, like a babysitter with a brat to take care of.

"Do you really need to nap all the time?" he asked, pulling her to her feet.

She nodded and muttered something about a habit. With Cloud following close behind, she too got off the tram and looked around in wonderment. There were adorable statues and brightly colored balloons and banners filling the area. And that was only the entrance. Raye awakened fully at the thought of what other wonders might be held inside. Running around in a fluffy Fat Chocobo costume was a man, yelling 'Welcome to the Gold Saucer!' over and over. She could barely contain her excitement at the thought of entering the Gold Saucer.

"Come on," Cloud growled, pulling her by the hand for the umpteenth time. Contrary to his grouchiness, he was kind enough to pay for everyone's admission. Past the admission woman was a brightly lit room with several holes, connected to slides, and a map of all of the area.

"Ready to have fun?" Aeris laughed in childish excitement.

"Don't forget we're after Sephiroth!" Barret yelled in his usual agitated voice. After doing so, he stomped away, going through a tunnel labeled with a Chocobo.

"He'll be fine," Tifa assured everyone. "Why don't we split up and have some fun for a change?"

"That sounds good," Raye agreed. "But how?"

Tifa smiled, walked out of the room, and returned in a few minutes with straws wrapped in paper. "We'll draw straws. If you get the same color as someone else, they're your partner."

There was a collective nod and the straws were given out.

"Oh, poo! I have to hang out with this furball!" Yuffie complained.

Red XIII merely shook his mane of orange fur in defeat. Tifa laughed at his reaction and stated that she had a blue straw that matched up with Aeris'.

"That leaves..." Raye muttered turning to look at Cloud, who was trying to set the evil red straw ablaze with his glare. She felt a twinge of nervousness, knowing that Cloud didnt like her very much and probably preferred to spend his time with Tifa or Aeris. It was too late to trade with someone. They had already left to make some memories at the happiest place on the West Continent.

"So," Raye said quietly. "What do you want to do?"

He shrugged and walked over to the large map that hung on the wall, inspecting it.

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe bet on some Chocobo Races."

"What about a Gondola Ride?" Raye asked, pointing out the place on the map.

Cloud rolled his eyes and said, "Not interested."

"Well, then, pick something else."

"Wonder Square?"

Raye took another look at the description on the map and agreed.

"The slide's that way," Cloud pointed, then grinned. "Don't get scared going down."

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To no one's surprise, Raye was a bit frightened about entering the tunnel, but she quickly got over it when Cloud gave her a shove.

"Whats the matter with you! I could have landed on my head!"

"You need to grow up and stop being afraid of everything!" he argued back.

Before she could retort, a tan, beefy man wearing only leopard boxer-shorts approached them. His slicked back, oily hair somehow reminded her of Joel.

"Couples shouldnt fight!" he grinned wide, revealing blinding white teeth. "Why arent you having fun, boy?"

"My name's Cloud. And stop calling me boy."

"Mmm? Me?" he seemed to be imagining his own questions. " I'm the owner of the Gold Saucer. The name's Dio. Just call me 'Dio'."

Cloud looked away in annoyance, not even listening.

"By the way, boy, do you know what a 'Black Materia' is?"

"No," he said.

"Ha ha ha……that, I say, that's a good one, boy! But it's not good to lie. You can't fool me."

"Why d'you ask me?"

"Well, a while back, a boy your age came in and asked me if I had a 'Black Materia'. I thought you might know who he was, seein' as how you're both about the same age."

Cloud was instantly alerted, "Did he happen to have…a Black Cape…?"

"Why yes, yes indeed. And a tattoo on his hand that said '1'."

"Where did he go?"

"Ha ha ha, I have no idea," Dio laughed stupidly which made both Raye and Cloud want to hurt him. "Well then. I say, stop by the Battle Arena if you like, boy. You'll probably like it. Many of my collections are on display there. Ha ha ha."

He walked away after that, his leopard boxers swishing dangerously.

"What was that all about?" Raye asked him.

Cloud furrowed his brows in deep concentration. "It doesnt matter. Sephiroth was here and we need to get moving and find him. What are you looking at me like that for?"

Raye flushed and resumed her stare at the floor. "I'm sorry. Its just when you talk about Sephiroth, you get this really scary look on your face. You don't really want to kill him, do you?"

Cloud's face softened, probably realizing how sheltered Raye really was. He placed a hand on her shoulder gently.

"I guess I do. You cant see everything in black and white anymore. Killing may be wrong, but if he's a killer himself, what does it matter?"

Raye stayed quiet.

"Its nothing you have to worry about, Princess," he sighed.

She nodded, mulling his words over. He took her hand again and walked at a steady pace toward the room marked 'Wonder Square.'

"Cloud," she said suddenly. "Killing a killer never fixed anything."

After crossing the immediate border between rooms, Cloud stopped and took a look at Raye's serious expression.

"You're so innocent," he commented.

"Hey you!! What're you lookin' so down for!? How 'bout it? Want me to read your fortune!?" A bouncing object came to them, and Raye made it out to be a large stuffed animal, like one she had sitting in her bedroom, and a tiny, talking cat riding on top. It wore a red scarf and a tiny crown and spoke with an accent she didnt recognize.

"A bright future! A happy future! Oh, but don't hold it against me if it's not a great prediction! Oh, so sorry! I'm a fortune telling machine. The name's Cait Sith."

Cloud shot a confused look to Raye, then shrugged, deciding to humor the odd cat.

"I can find missing things, missing people, anything!"

"Then can you tell me where a man named Sephiroth is?"

"Sephiroth, right!? Okay, here goes!!" he jumped up and down, kicking his arms and legs in a fashion that made them think he was trying to dance. From the mouth of the large white toy came a slip of paper, which Cloud took.

"'..Ordinary luck. It will be an active fortune. Give into the good will of others, and something big'll happen after summer.' "…what…what's this?"

"Huh? Let me try again," Cait Sith said, then repeated his dance. Another slip of paper came from the toy.

"'Be careful of forgetfulness. Your lucky color is …blue?'" he read, glaring at the cat in annoyance.

"What a great fortune," Raye nervously cut in and stepped between them.

"Wait, wait give me another chance! Wait! Let me try it again!"

For the third time, the cat's white toy did a dance, and this time Raye read the fortune that was revealed.

"'What you pursue will be yours. But you will lose something dear,'" Raye said quietly, unnerved by the ominous-sounding words.

"I don't know if it's good OR bad… This's the first time I ever got something like _this,_" the cat said, shrugging. "As a fortune teller, I can't help but think about this. If I don't see what it leads to, I won't be able to relax. That's why I'm going with you!"

"What?" Cloud roared.

"I'm comin' with you no matter _what_ you say!"

" H…hey!"

"Cloud, its pointless," Raye tried to soothe the seething blonde. "Just forget it, okay? He'll probably get bored and leave."

Cloud crossed his arms over his chest and growled, "I'm so tired of all these third wheels that keep popping up."

Raye sighed in exasperation as she was dragged along by the excited cat who wanted t show her the Battle Square.

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I don't think that was too shabby. The first part was a bit dry. Well, I'm on break, so I'm hoping to get another chapter in as well. Constructive criticism, please?


	16. Up

Raye's head was spinning as she was dragged along by the excited cat. It always seemed as though someone was dragging her roughly by the arm somewhere or another. The thought was quite depressing. She received no respect from those around her, but after all, why would she? She was just some princess from some far away land of which no one has ever heard. Was it possible that she would ever get home? Would her home even be there when she returned? Joel was without a doubt making a mess of things back home. As the stand-in for the royal family, he had nothing holding him back, and the thought was terrifying. After all, he had been so adamant about her "safety". Lillith had been thoroughly against sending Raye away but nothing could be done about it. Raye was rushed into a sleek black car, and taken away. But that seemed like ages ago. How long had it truly been? She'd traveled the entire East Continent, crossed the sea, and was now making her way through the West Continent. The whole situation seemed surreal. Could this truly be real? Was the whole Planet in danger?

Raye felt smaller than she ever had before. Her situation paled in comparison to the Planet's danger. She looked over to Cloud, calmly keeping up with the bouncing animal, his face set into a serious glare, which Raye imagined could only be the face one from SOLDIER knew how to make. Seemingly protective, Cloud had dragged her from town to town and, in his own way, looked out for her. She didn't quite understand the dynamic of their relationship, but she did not question it. In this journey they were all on, would he be her guardian?

Raye had barely a moment to think further before the cat stopped short, signaling their arrival at the Battle Square. The stone ceiling was high and mighty, large blocks and stone slabs making up the whole hall. Ornate shields and swords decorated the walls, but so did splashes of blood. At the entranceway, a man in Shinra uniform stood, clutching his side before he fell to the ground, dead. Raye clasped her hands over her mouth at the sight, her stomach wrenching.

"Did Sephiroth do this!" Cloud exclaimed, springing to the defense of Cait Sith and Raye. He kneeled before the Shinra soldier, "No…it's not him… They're all shot… Sephiroth would never use a gun…"

A man appeared from behind the service desk, moaning pitifully. "A man," he gasped. "Gun… on his arm…"

Before the man was through, he collapsed behind the desk and Dio, the owner of the Gold Saucer, rushed in with armed guards following.

"Hold it! You murderers are going to pay for this!"

"Hurry and run, it's gonna get ugly," Cait Sith whispered to his companions.

"We didn't do this!" Raye cried, desperately to Dio, but her cries were ignored. The guards seized the team roughly and dragged them away.

"There's no need to listen. Pay for your crime down below!" Dio shouted after them.

Once again, Raye was falling.

Raye coughed and sputtered, trying to release the dust from her lungs. She's awakened on her stomach, clutching at the sparse blades of yellow grass that appeared in front of her face. Coughs shook her whole frame as she struggled to breathe. Finally looking up through the cloud of dirt, she noticed an aged and worn sign, announcing their descent into Corel Prison.

_A desert prison,_ Raye moaned inwardly, looking around. Apart from a rusted trailer, and a shabby wooden house, there was nothing for miles and miles, as far as she could see. And where there's a prison, there are prisoners. Dusty, shabby men loitered in groups where they could find shade, each looking as murderous as the other, and eyeing the newcomer with interest. Surprisingly, Raye was alone, and found that the members of her party where nowhere to be found. She was certain security would have thrown out Tifa and the others as well, but couldn't see them. Gunshots rang out from the shabby wooden house, causing a shriek from Raye, and the other prisoners to murmur excitedly.

_I have to find cover!_

Kicking up dust and sand, Raye's boots slammed the dry earth as she made her way to the rusted trailer. Sweat and adrenaline described the few minutes it took to make it to the trailer, the blistering heat making it nearly unbearable to breathe. Ducking behind the metal, she covered her mouth for another lung-wrenching cough. Leaning her head back onto the trailer's body, her fingers grazed her brown waves, fully covered in dirt. It was as though there was no escape from the desert. No escape.

Raye straightened, dusted off her clothes and banged on the door of the trailer before barging in. Looking up from a desk was a man in a cheap orange suit sweating over some paperwork, looking agitated. He eyed her up an down before barking, "You want something?"

Raye set her expression into a serious scowl before answering. "I want to get out of here."

The man laughed and waved his pen in the air laughing, "Take a number."

Calmly, Raye strode through the tiny trailer, and slammed her hands roughly on his desk, sending up a flurry of dust particles and knocking over his nameplate, 'Mr. Coates'. Raye glared through the dust to the little man at the desk, noticing the slit of sunlight falling over his face from the blinds.

"I said I want to leave," she growled.

"I cant do anything for you," he replied, a little more wary of the young girl who had barged into his office. "If you want to leave you have to get permission from the boss and win a Chocobo race. I'm no part of that."

"I didn't ask you if you could or couldn't do anything," Raye fought to keep her voice steady. This was all she had, and she had to make it count for something. "I'm leaving this prison now, and you're going to set it up."

"B-but the boss," Mr. Coates began, straightening his tie and trying to regain his composure. "I simply cannot-"

"Stop right there!" Raye shouted, her voice surprising herself.

Before she could continue, a round of coughing and sputtering stopped her. Seeing a chance, Mr. Coates reached his hand under his desk, but was again interrupted by the slamming of the trailer door. Barrett's large body blocked the door and his rugged, worn face scowled into the trailer. Raye had never felt such relief.

"Barrett," she sighed, almost smiling.

Barrett tossed a pendant onto Mr. Coates desk and barked, "We're all going up."

Mr. Coates, now thoroughly unnerved, leaned forward to examine the rusted piece of metal.

"Did you kill Dyne?" he said, voice quivering, "You must've. Or you'd never be holding

that thing."

Barrett grabbed the small man by the collar, entering the already crowded trailer.

"What the hell do you care?" he screamed into Mr. Coates face. "You don't! Now get us the hell out of here!"

Unnamed emotion showed on Barrett's face, and the breath nearly left Raye's body. Killed Dyne? Perhaps it was better to leave questions unasked for now.

"All I can get you is a Chocobo Race, I swear," he stammered, holding his arms up in defense. "If you win the race you're free to go, now please let _me_ go!"

"Awright then," Barrett spat, dropping the frazzled man back onto his chair. "Cloud, you go. We'll wait down here. Hurry up an' win that Chocobo Race, an' get us outta here!"

"Cloud?" Raye breathed. "You guys are all here? And you're alright?"

Barrett turned to Raye, as though he were seeing her for the first time. A little surprise in his voice was noted, but he did his best to mask it.

"Yeah, we're… ah, alright. Come on outside. Cloud's gonna take this race for us." He stepped back out of the doorway, letting the piercing sunlight back into the trailer. Wincing and shaky, Raye stepped outside.

"You're alright!" Aeris gasped, holding a hand to her chest.

Tifa reached for her, holding her hand carefully. A look of relief spread across her face. Raye looked from one face to another, all seeming grateful at her safe return, all equally filthy, and all eyes equally hiding some sort of pain.

"Did something happen?" Raye coughed out painfully.

Barrett slammed the door shut to the trailer and began walking away.

"Come on. We have to go wait for Cloud to come back."

Enduring a few hours in the blistering heat, the crew waited for Cloud to return with news of the race up above. No one spoke, but the thoughts of race flowed through everyone's minds. Raye pulled her knees close and buried her head in her arms as she leaned against a metal support beam beneath the saucer. The time was punctuated with coughs from the team, all breathing in the dusty desert air. Though like a mirage, a red car curved around the beam to stop in the center of the prison. It honked twice, making the members of AVALANCHE look up in hopeful anticipation. Both, a Gold Saucer employee and Cloud stepped from the vehicle and exchanged handshakes. The employee walked to the elevator and disappear, and Cloud waved the crew over. Cheers pierced the air and for the first time, Raye felt the closest feeling to joy since she had left her home.

Raye awakened to the dark room she did not recognize. There was no light, and no candles illuminating the room. Against her back, she felt the coolness of the wall of the room, and from that wall came the moonbeam of the night's only light. The pillow beneath her head was soft, and the blanket beneath her seemed handspun. There was another bed on the other end of the small room, and a desk in between. Before she could sit up to inspect the room further, the figure beside her moved, causing Raye to freeze. Lying on his back, hands folded across his stomach, was Cloud. Instead of panic, Raye felt a sort of calmness through her, as though this was the way it should be. All was right in the world. The propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at the sleeping form. Eyes closed, his face was calm, without his usual scowl. His skin was smooth and pale in the moonlight that stretched across his face.

"Cloud?" she whispered, but there was no response.

Did she really want to wake him up? This felt like the first peace she had truly felt in a long time. Without meaning to, she stretched her slender hand out and touched Cloud's cheek, feeling the cool smoothness. It was almost frightening how close he was. After all, Raye knew he was an ex-SOLDIER, someone who was dangerous and should be feared. Raye tilted her head for a better look, her brown waves collecting around her shoulders. Peaceful. She leaned forward toward Cloud. Those glowing eyes could open any second and discover her hovering over him, but she didn't mind. She had nothing to fear. Her thumb traced his relaxed brows down towards his cheekbones, and feather-light over his lips. He had saved her from drowning with these lips. He gave her new life with these lips. And for that she was thankful. He had been watching over her when no one else could. She shifted her position forward, edging her hips closer to his side. She felt his arm snake around her waist, and land on the small of her back. Warmth spread from his fingertips, and the pressure was comforting. Guided by his hand, she leaned forward without pause and placed her lips onto his. Her hand left his cheek and rested itself on the nape of his neck, returning the pull she felt from his arm. She broke away briefly for air, forgetting to breathe, but was gently pulled back when Cloud grumbled beneath his breath and turned onto his side toward her. Now face to face, he pulled her in for another kiss, holding her into his strong embrace. A rush of emotion swept through Raye's chest. It felt elated, safe, though a little scared. What would happen if he awoken? Would he still continue his dreamy advances? Placing both hands on his chest, she pushed back slightly to break the kiss. Cloud incoherently mumbled, his arms tensing around her. His eyelids twitched and slowly opened, revealing his glowing blue eyes.


	17. A Turn For The Worse

"S-some bodyguard…" Raye whispered through cracked and bleeding lips. She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings, a darkness clouding her eyes and mind. Her vision blurred and doubled up on her, the tiles on the floor multiplying and swaying in time to the pounding in her head. The image of Cloud in her mind was fading away, slipping through her fingers like wisps of smoke. A piece of sanity to hold onto, now gone. A small moan escaped her lips as she was reminded of the pain in her body. Only then did she realize she was leaning forward, her arms shackled behind her at a painful angle. She cried out again as she shifted her weight and her body responded with shards of pain. Raye tried to lick her lips but realized there was no moisture left in her mouth. The tile floor sat beneath her, white and immaculate, while the fluorescent lighting glared down at her. She snapped her eyes shut at the burning sensation. Moaning again, she felt the empty room spin and her empty stomach tie itself in knots, threatening to turn over.

How long had she been here? There was no way of telling. Within minutes, she heard the whirr of the automatic door opening, footsteps entering her prison. Two pairs of shiny black shoes entered her tunneled vision, a stark contrast to the hospital white of the tile. A thin hand grabbed Raye's chin roughly and snapped her head up to eye level with angry green eyes.

"Where is she?" the man spat out. His fire-engine red hair overwhelmed her sight and the green eyes matched hers, boring into her soul.

But all Raye could manage was a moan.

The hand dropped her chin unkindly and stepped away, frustration clear in the ring of his footsteps. He wiped blood from his hand onto a handkerchief and tossed it aside.

"…out for three days," the voice snapped in irritation. "The boss'll have my ass for this."

"You could try asking nicely," a man's deeper voice replied with an edge of sarcasm. The second pair of feet approached Raye and once again she found herself eye to eye with a captor. His dark skin and brown eyes differentiated him from the other man, and Raye blinked painfully, trying to focus her vision. The brown eyes scanned her face quickly, certainly taking in a horrific sight. Raye's face was spattered with blood, long since dried, that originated from a gash on her temple. Dirt and sweat were smeared over her forehead and cheeks, and those large green eyes had all but lost their light.

"You'd better take her to the infirmary."

"Yeah, alright," the first man replied with a sigh.

With a click, Raye's bonds were released, and she dropped heavily into the redhead's arms with a pained cry. He called for two nurses, who gingerly lifted the lifeless body onto a stretcher and out of the room. Again Raye moaned, trying to speak, but the nurses ignored her and pushed past door after identical door down a never-ending hallway. Undressing Raye robotically and mercilessly, the two nurses went about their work in silence. There was not a word spoken during the entire process of scrubbing Raye's body and treating her wounds. A needle was jabbed roughly into her inner arm, a tube connecting the needle to an IV bag. The split in her lip was given ointment, and the gash on her temple was sewn up. The numbness had set in, and Raye felt sure of her impending death as she lay against the hard mattress of the hospital bed. Quietly watching the nurses go after they had dressed her in a pristine white hospital shift, Raye's exhausted mind couldn't form a single coherent thought. The only sensation she felt was that of emptiness, nothingness, doom.

_I'm going to die._

Hours had passed, or maybe minutes, before the door opened before the red-headed man from before. His thin frame was wrapped in a freshly pressed white shirt, and black suit. Sitting up quickly, Raye watched through bloodshot eyes and he strolled on long legs to the edge of her bed and sat beside her. His red ponytail hung lazily down his back, which hunched in exhaustion. Green eyes glanced over pale skin, dotted with bruises.

"Are you alright?" he asked with a gentleness Raye hadn't expected. She inspected his face, searching for a sign of malicious intent.

With a hoarse, cracked whisper, Raye choked out, "You attacked me."

_Reno. That was his name._

Reno stood from the bed with a sigh and stepped to her bedside table to pour a glass of water from the single clear pitcher that adorned the table. Like the other room, the walls and floor were a bare white, empty but for the bed and end table. Placing the glass into her hand gently, he leaned down towards her again, addressing her gently.

"Not me, babe, I didn't." He waved his hand through the air."Do you remember what happened?"

Raye shook her head numbly. The motion made her head throb. The glass was cool to the touch, but the desire for water had long since left her. Icy prickling shot its way up and down her body, extending as far as her fingertips.

Reno made a sympathetic noise, nodding to himself with his arms folded.

"Can you tell me who you are?"

Raye's voice caught in her throat.

"Ah…," she lied. "I don't remember."

After her time with the red-head, Raye had very few visitors. A nurse came several times a day to check on her IV bag, but refused to speak or answer any questions. Food appeared on her bedside table every time she awoke, but it was all too rich and her body refused to keep anything down. Every evening, she would purge any meals given to her, the sounds of retching echoing through the hallway. Sometimes, she was plagued by nightmares of blue lightning and other times, she awoke sweating and shaking uncontrollably. Those times she prayed to the gods to just let her go. Her mind often wandered, in it's lonely state, to where her friends were. She thought of Barrett, missing his daughter, and keeping the loneliness to himself. Of Tifa, staying strong for her team. She wondered if her friends were safe on the other side of the world, or even in the rooms right beside hers. Though she refused to let the thought enter her mind, she wondered if they were dead. There would be no way of knowing. But mostly, Raye wondered where Cloud was. The man that had promised to protect her. Could he be dead as well?

Once, after awaking and feeling particularly stronger, she noticed a stranger sitting in a white chair against the opposite wall of her room. Raye sat up uneasily, eyeing the red-headed man she had met days earlier.

_Reno._

As she stirred, Reno eyed her curiously. His hands were thrust into his pockets lazily, his shirt crumpled and unbuttoned at the collar. The man had been through the ringer.

"I'm going to ask you again," he said quietly. "Who _are_ you?"

Sensing danger, Raye's voice failed her. She trembled under her shift, feeling the nip of the air-conditioned room. Reno stood and swiftly strode over to her bed, plopping beside her. Once he leaned in toward her, the bags under his eyes were clearly defined, as well as whiskers poking through his skin in need of shaving.

"There are some bad people looking for you, ya know. I can only protect you for so long, but your time is _running out._ Tell me, now."

The edge in Reno's voice held the promise of a worse fate. Before Raye's split lip would form a reply, a Wutai man with long black hair entered the room, alone. His black suit was impeccable clean and pressed, a stark contrast to Reno's. His sharp features and straight nose were accented by his slanted eyes, dark and uncaring. Every part of him, from his rigid posture to his voice indicated that he meant business.

"Her name is Raye, from the kingdom of Arainiel," he said smoothly, with a voice like deep velvet. "It seems our prisoner is royalty."

"Tseng, I-" Reno began, but was cut off.

"No matter, Reno. You may go. Our guest here is going up to the royal suite."

The sneer in his voice was terrifying, and Raye felt all the blood drain from her face. Standing, Reno glanced at her sideways, his face unreadable. He grabbed her roughly by the arm to stand beside him, looking into her face with a smirk.

"All that trouble for a princess, huh?" he laughed at Tseng. "Figures the boss'll want to see her."

Nodding to a nurse, Tseng stepped aside to lead them out. The nurse hurriedly removed the IV from Raye's arm and cleanly bandaged her elbow with gaze and medical tape. Reno straightened his shirt and blazer the best he could before pulling Raye out of the room. Walking between the two Turks, Raye felt much like a lamb being led to the lions, unable to escape and utterly terrified. She tried to hide her trembling, but between the frigid air of the building and her own mounting fears, the prospect of putting on a brave face was nearly impossible. Tseng walked briskly and silently, barely tapping his polished shoes on the tiles. Reno, on the other hand, seemingly recovered from his ordeal and pleased with a job well done, whistled nonchalantly as he flanked Raye's other side. Judging her options best she could, Raye could see no way out. She wasn't nearly strong enough to attempt an escape from the two well-trained members of President Shinra's personal guard dogs, and neither could she navigate her way through the entire building unhindered. Even if she could so brazenly walk out of a impenetrably guarded Shinra building, navigating the streets of whatever city she found herself in would be more than a challenge. The thoughts of escape made Raye's head spin, swaying dangerously as she walked. Tseng, steadied her on her right side and snapped his fingers before her eyes in an attempt to focus her.

"How long did you say she was out for?" he addressed Reno with curiosity.

Reno replied with a noncommittal shrug. "About three days."

"The new Electro-Mag Rod suits you well."

Raye's eye's widened as the images flashed before her. The pouring rain, pounding against her face like icy knives. Her clothes were heavy as they were weighed down by the downpour. The blood from her brow blinding her left eye, stinging and burning. People were screaming and running, away from the Shinra soldiers invading their homes and waving their guns. But it was only Raye and her opponent now. Reno. He rested the rod against his shoulder, as he sauntered towards her with a grin on his face. He spoke, but she couldn't hear his words. She could only see his cocky grin and the glint in his eye. She couldn't find the others, but there was no time for that. The confusion of the crowd and soldiers pushed the thought from her mind, focusing on her own danger. With a click that echoed in her mind, she saw Reno's weapon start up, crackling with life. Raye clasped her hands together, preparing to cast, but it all happened too quickly. Lightning crashed and lit up the sky as thunder boomed overhead. The bite of salt air and the taste of blood on her tongue. And the blue electricity coursing through her body, traveling through every nerve. She fell sideways into the mud, unconscious before she hit the ground.

Raye stole a glance at Reno as she replayed the memory in her mind. The red head whistled carelessly, reciting neither tune nor time.

_This man is dangerous._

The doors opened to the 69th floor with a high pitched _ding_, slowly revealing the throne room to the king of Shinra. The room took up the entire floor, with ceilings a hundred feet high and columns supporting the structure. Gleaming yellow marble seamlessly covered the floors, shining brightly in their polished state. The back wall was made completely of glass, allowing a view into the night sky dotted with stars, and transitioned to the twinkling of the city below.

_Midgar._

It seemed she was once again on the Eastern Continent, but had no way of knowing how she was taken over or how long ago it had happened. Mouth agape, she was nudged back into reality by her escorts with a hand on her lower back pushing her toward the only piece of furniture in the room: the desk of the President. She had been here once before, she remembered, when the previous president lay dead against his paperwork, a sword protruding from his back…

Shaking of the ghost of the memory, she faced the very real threat coming before her, Rufus. He was seated behind his massive desk, alone in the great hall. He looked just as she remembered him from that night on the rooftop when they saved Aeris: double breasted white coat, blonde hair, and sharp, handsome features. Leaning his chin against his folded hands, Rufus's blue eyes eyed her like a predator would eye his prey. She was stopped in front of the elevated desk for inspection, feeling naked and vulnerable under her hospital shift. Rufus stood and stepped out from behind his desk with a flick of his dark blonde hair.

"I trust you are being treated well?" he asked as he approached her with arms folded behind his back.

Raye shied away from his approach, but was held in place by Tseng and Reno, each taking an elbow to secure her in place. Rufus stood before Raye, a full head taller than she was, looking down at her with his calculating eyes.

"You will answer the president," Tseng prompted, squeezing her elbow. Raye yelped and pulled her arm from his grasp, swaying dangerously from the force.

"This will not do," Rufus stated with a frown as he looked into her eyes and over her stitches. "You're bleeding on my floor."

It was true, Raye noticed. A trickle of blood had found its way through the gauze and down her arm, dripping slowly from her ring finger and onto the marble. She returned her gaze to the president of Shinra, his blue eyes twinkling with glee. A smirk twitched at the corners of his mouth.

"I've got big plans for you, princess."


	18. Haze

Shannyrox101- I know, I'm sorry I let such a long time go by without updating, but life definitely got in the way. I recently started playing FFVII again, so I got back into the swing of things. Thank you for still supporting my fix after all this time. xoxo

xSanurax- Thank you for keeping me alive with your reviews! I'll do my best to continue!

* * *

_"I've got big plans for you, princess."_

Raye's blood ran cold at his tone. Never had she been so afraid, not during the attack of the Midgar Zolom, and not during her fight with Reno. There was just something behind those ice-cold blue eyes that suggested that what he had in store was worse than anything she could possibly imagine. Rufus turned away from his guests, and sent them off with a lazy wave of his hand. Each returning their grips on Raye's elbows, Tseng and Reno turned her towards the door to lead her back to her room. Thoughts of escape ran through her mind at a million miles an hour. She had to find a way out, somehow. Maybe when one of the nurses dropped by to check on her, she could fight her way out. Raye felt her heart echoing loudly in her chest, almost afraid that Reno and Tseng could hear the panic in her body. Stealing another sideways glance at the two on either side, she saw the men standing stoic and silent as the elevator doors opened before them. The dull pain in her arms brought her back to reality. Reno's thin, white fingers dug into the soft flesh of her arm, promising to leave bruises. The realization hit home. She was not strong enough, by any means, and she probably never was. Is this what AVALANCHE had to deal with the whole time? An easily bruised nobody to burden them? She pushed the thought out of her mind to clear the stinging of tears from her eyes. There was no time for that. Now, she had to plan her survival. Turning around in the elevator, she caught a glimpse of Rufus through the slit in the closing doors. White suit, blonde hair, and eyes burning with malice.

The elevator _ding_'d as she dropped down the floors, watching the numbers fall on the digital readout. The pit of her stomach floated up to her throat, an uncomfortable feeling in the small, contained space. Raye peeked over her shoulder at the city of Midgar. It was just as she remembered it: twinkling lights of the upper plate lighting up the night sky like a giant dome over the city. Catching herself being mesmerized, Raye quickly turned away. A city this beautiful only hid the slums that housed children, families barely surviving on their meager pay and abhorrent conditions. A city with dying people, and a false king stealing their souls.

The elevator came to an abrupt stop on floor 34, not continuing underground as Raye had initially suspected. This floor required a card key, she noticed as Tseng removed the Shinra Exec plastic from it's designated slot. Bright lights, and pristine hallways did not greet the trio as the doors unfurled to their new destination. In its place, light sandalwood flooring, stretched out to the other end of the 34th floor like a natural welcome mat. The doors of the hallway were dark oak, heavy but warm in their contrast to the cream walls. It was like no hotel Raye had ever seen. Recessed lighting replaced the long fluorescent bulbs that glared mercilessly at all who entered the building. Walking forward with her escorts, Raye could see that her long hallway (divided the floor in half) met also with another hall, cutting the floor into four equal quadrants, each room labeled neatly with silver numbers. Down the hall, and to the right, Raye was brought to the upper right room of the 34th floor. Reno cursed to himself as he jingled keys in search of the proper one. An old fashioned brass key fit perfectly into the brass handle of the oak door, and it swung open with ease. Automated lights flooded the cavernous room at the movement. Raye took in the sight.

The room was enormous, reminiscent of her bedroom back home. High ceilings with the same recessed lighting gave the room gentle lumination, while the twinkling lights of Midgar shone behind the glass wall. The room was furnished simply, but comfortably, with matching dark oak furniture. The bed frame, dresser, writing desk, and chest were oddly homey, but chic in their placement in the bedroom. The desk, dresser, and bed were fully furnished with linens, cushions, and stationary. A cream colored leather sofa and oak coffee table were placed strategically by the window, with a silver tray and tea set delicately seated on top. A rose nightgown, silky in texture, was folded carefully on the bed along with a plush white robe, inviting any guests inside. Relief at the comforts provided was quickly replaced with suspicion. Raye glanced about the comfortable bedroom. Were there cameras? Torture devices? Tseng released Raye's arm and faced her, business-like in his posture. Reno swung the key set around his index finger as he strolled about the room with a hand thrust sloppily in his pocket. Raye kept an eye on the whistling Turk, red ponytail swishing as he paced nonchalantly.

"Nice digs." Reno commented, whistling his approval.

"This floor is for guests of President Shinra. Any dignitaries or guests of importance stay here." Tseng's voice was crisp, leaving no emotion in his statement. "You should be comfortable here, and we will send a nurse to continue to watch over your treatment. The President will call for you when he needs you."

With a nod to Reno, the two men left the room with a _click_ indicating the door was locked behind them. Raye stood alone for a moment in the immense room, unsure of what to do with herself. Unsatisfied with the knowledge that nothing could be done, Raye pulled the deep blue curtains shut to block out the city lights that demanded attention. The rose colored slip fit Raye's small frame easily, gliding over the skin and bones of the girl she had become. The mirror beside the writing desk reflected a girl that Raye had never seen before. For the first time since she had left home, Raye had truly looked at herself in the mirror. Skin was fair and almost ghostly in its luminescence, a byproduct of underground imprisonment. Her dark auburn waves had grown long past her shoulders and hung loosely in layers around her waist. Beneath the unkempt mop of hair, two large green eyes were placed dully in a thin face. Dark, and without any spark of life.

Nearly fifteen minutes after the Turks imprisoned their guest for a second time, the jingling of keys alerted Raye to another intruder. She sat on the edge of the bed, facing the door to her left, anticipating the next move. A young woman, in her mid 20's, entered the room with a metal stand, and bag of medical tools. Her blonde hair was pulled back tightly into a professional bun, and she wore the standard white hospital nurses gown, embroidered with the Shinra logo on the collar. Avoiding all eye contact, the nurse began her work in utter silence. The blood was cleaned from Raye's arm and a new IV was inserted. A quick swipe of ointment onto Raye's brow completed the nurse's work. Feeling a headache creeping up into her skull, Raye crawled into the soft covers of the bedding and tried to escape her mental exhaustion.

The routine barely changed with Raye's relocation into the 34th floor. Every morning, fresh white shirts and shorts were found folded on the chair of her writing desk, waiting to be claimed. Meals were placed on the coffee table routinely, discovered every time she awoke from a nap or night's sleep. Steaming eggs and bacon were served in the morning with coffee and tea in the silver tea set, but the type of food nor the silver saucer it was served on could whet Raye's appetite. A nibble on toast or sip of coffee could satisfy any stomach hunger one could muster, and any richer foods had the poor girl running to the door of the restroom. Meals were good, artfully prepared, but could not occupy Raye's attention. She passed the time watching the sunrises and sunsets over the city, sleeping or reading from the bookshelf in between. Days passed in a blur, day and night melting into one continuous arc of light streaming clockwise against the sky. Raye couldn't focus on anything, and was exhausted by even the most minor acts of amusement. The day Raye realized she wasn't getting better was the day she had her first visitor.

Raye had sat at the coffee table for noon tea, as she did every day after waking up from a long nap, trying hard to focus her eyes, which seemed to be playing tricks on her. Her ears pricked up at the sound of keys fumbling carelessly in the lock. The man that entered had a sickly appearance, milky white skin and uneven texture. Greasy black hair was pulled into a ponytail behind his back, and beady black eyes peered from round spectacles. He placed his hands behind his hunched back and approached the table.

_Hojo._

"Hm, hm… they tell me you're not feeling any better," he said with a raspy voice. "Peculiar, very peculiar."

Raye remained silent as she watched him approach her. The room spun with the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"Perhaps I turned the Electro-Mag Rod up too high? Hmm, hmm. Never know what kind of effects it may have on the body, hmm."

He produced a syringe with a long needle from the pocket of his lab coat, and stuck Raye's arm as he took a seat on the sofa. Raye gasped at the sudden prick in her arm, but was shushed by the professor.

"Now, now, we only need a little blood to see what's happening."

"You're… you're _experimenting_ on me?" she managed, feeling every pound in her head like the beat of a drum.

"Heavens, no. We'll have to adjust your meds if we're going to get you fixed up for Rufus, don't we?"

There was no response as Raye watched the syringe slowly produce the deep red liquid from her arm. She watched the syringe fill at an agonizingly slow pace, unnerved by the sight of her own blood. When he was finished, Hojo pressed a cottonball onto her arm and instructed her to keep the pressure.

"Wouldn't want you catching an infection, hmm?"

* * *

"Yo, you're coming to see the President today," Reno announced, standing in the bedroom of the 34th floor. He looked the same as he always did, flaming red hair and sloppily untucked Turk uniform, but today he held in his hand a hanger and garment bag, unmarked. It had been three days since her encounter with Hojo and two days since a nurse had come in to replace her bag of clear fluid with a new one containing a faint yellow hue. At breakfast, the needle was removed and taken away without a word, and by lunchtime Reno had made his appearance with the garment bag.

"Okay," she replied. She took the bag from his hand, and waited for the Turk to step outside before undressing. Inside the garment bag was a strapless dress of a bright, royal blue. The chiffon fabric was short in the front but trailed long in the back, a style she was very much accustomed to wearing. A braided leather belt hung from the inside hook to pinch her waist in. She dressed in the provided ensemble, along with white pointed heels and met Reno outside the door without a sound. He stood from his leaning position outside her door and glanced over the new look.

"Let's get moving," he said with a shrug, clearly unfazed by the change in wardrobe. He did not grab her roughly to lead her away, as he did previously, but rather walked quietly beside Raye as they walked together to the elevator. Raye was calm. Unsure of the future, but not scared. She was ready.

President Shinra's massive office was buzzing with life as secretaries and errand boys alike ran senselessly from every corner of the room. In the midst of the chaos, Rufus leaned against his desk, smiling pleasantly at a tall woman in a mauve business suit. Beside her, an older man held a camera, adjusting knobs and settings while his cohort chatted. Unfazed by the commotion, Reno strode confidently into the ruckus, with Raye trailing meekly behind. Rufus stood to greet the newcomers as they arrived at his desk.

"Ah, there she is," he sighed with a broad, almost genuine smile. His approach was familiar and friendly, as he demonstrated by placing his hand on Raye's hip. "I would like you to meet the reporter for Midgar's news channel, Miss Sarah Collins."

The lady in the mauve suit smiled faintly and exchanged tight-lipped pleasantries with Raye. Knowing better than to ask questions that may have repercussions, Raye kept silent as Rufus finalized arrangements with the reporter. His hand never left her hip, his long fingers keeping her body possessively close. Raye peered down at her hands, folded in front of her meekly. Her vision was cloudy, and the bustling noise and excitement was muffled.

"Are you ready?"

The voice of the reporter snapped Raye's mind back to attention. She nodded timidly, and was led by a very gentlemanly Rufus Shinra through the doors of his office and out onto the balcony on which she had fought beside Cloud only months before.

_Cloud…_

At the edge of the balcony, overlooking the city, a table was set up with two armchairs. A gaggle of reporters and cameramen waited in front of the table, gossiping amongst themselves and waiting for the action to begin. Miss Collins hastily instructed her own cameraman to set up his equipment in the proper location, barely acknowledging the guests of honor following behind her.

"Let me do the talking," Rufus hissed in her ear as they took their places on the rich leather armchairs. Every light on every camera lit up, shining brightly into Raye's sensitive eyes. Flashes had begun almost immediately at their approach, as a hushed silence fell over the crowd.

"People of Midgar," he began with velvety voice. He flicked his hair out of his eyes in one smooth motion, and tossed a smile to the eager cameras. "I'm speaking to you today from Shinra, Inc. headquarters in order to provide a special announcement to you all."

But Raye's focus was lost. The lights shone directly into her face, blinding and warming her on this cool day. The faces spun as she ogled the formless crowd. Her hands fidgeted in her lap, folded neatly but craving escape.

"… from another land to our east. Please be warm and welcoming to our new guest in Midgar. Who knows, maybe she'll decide to stay." With another award-winning smile, Rufus reached over and placed a warm hand over hers. Raye blinked, but said nothing in protest. The faint crinkling around his eyes, the dimples in his cheeks. If Raye didn't know any better, she almost would have believed him. And just like that, the conference ended as quickly as it had begun. Most of the glaring lights turned off, with the exception of a few who continued their coverage with commentary. Rufus released her hand and stood to continue his PR duties, and Raye inhaled sharply, a fresh wave of nausea overcoming her.

"Are you alright?" asked a male reporter with a raised eyebrow.

"She's been ill from the travel," Rufus cut in quickly. "I knew it was too soon for the report, she's only arrived yesterday."

He patted her hand apologetically and called out for Reno. "I've arranged for her a personal bodyguard to watch over her safety. Ah, there he is. Reno, kindly take our guest out on a stroll. I believe she could use the fresh air."

Boredom apparent on his face, Reno sighed as he watched Raye sitting on the edge of the fountain located in the courtyard of the Shinra Building. Grey, everything in Midgar was shades of grey. The buildings, streets, the faces of people passing were all lifeless and grey. All, but Reno's hair, she noted with a faint smile. The bright red hair stood out for miles in this grey wasteland, and all who saw it coming cowered in fear. Eyes were averted as they walked slowly out of the Shinra Building, arm in arm like a lady and gentleman. Raye slipped her fingers into the clear water of the fountain, relishing in the crisp coolness of the fresh water. She knew Reno was dangerous underneath that playboy, tough-guy facade, and so did the citizens of Midgar. It was noticeable the way they eyed the pair as they walked past the courtyard. From their eyes, Raye knew they had seen the news report from Rufus. The whole city had seen it. Her face may as well have been on a billboard for public view, though she suspected that would be his next move. If only she could figure out why, she might be able to sabotage whatever evil plot he had in mind…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the passing of someone at the edge of her periphery. Snapping her head up, she looked around and past the redhead whose face depicted torturous scenes of boredom. She saw him, she knew she did. Blonde hair caught her eye as it slipped past the courtyard entrance into the next sector of the city. Forgetting herself, she strode from the fountain, following the person who rushed past the tip of her grasp. Her long legs strode quickly under the archway, the echoes of her heels bouncing off the stone walls. Desperately searching, her hair whipped about her face as she turned left and right, trying to catch the glimpse of him.

_Cloud._

He had only turned the corner a moment ago, but the streets were deserted. Even the dark alleyways refused to produce any life from their disrupted shadows. The muffled shouting she hadn't noticed suddenly dropped back into reality as Reno roughly grabbed her arm and wrenched her towards him.

"Yo, where the hell do you think you're going?" he yelled, eyes flashing above his tattoos. Raye stared at him blankly, nearly forgetting he was there. He was panting slightly, and realization hit that she had taken off running into the next sector. She was standing alone in the empty streets beneath the flashing _Loveless_ billboard, until Reno had caught up.

"I, uh, saw the billboard," she choked out, fighting to remain calm. "I've never seen it."

_Cloud isn't here._

"L-Loveless?" Reno's face was a clear indicator of disbelief. "You had me running after you all this way for a _Loveless _ad? Unbelievable!"

The redhead threw up his hands in exasperation and cursed to himself about the troubles of being a corporate babysitter. Shoving his hands back into his pockets, he grumbled and jerked his head back toward the Shinra Building, looming oppressively over them. Her eyes followed skyward to the top floor, wondering if the king was watching them, even now. Taking Reno's arm, she bowed her head again to halt the throbbing. The echo of her heels slowed to a defeated march.

Raye was escorted to her room without another word, or meeting with the President. No nurse came to relieve Raye's symptoms, and no food or tea was brought for the afternoon. The sofa was hard and uncomfortable, and Raye's hands trembled in her lap. Her eyes teared as she hunched over and put her head in her hands, the pressure in her head exploding. Her brown hair hung about her body like a cape, shielding her small frame from the world.

"You can't _still_ be such a crybaby."

Raye jerked her head up and scanned the room. To her right, standing tall by the windows, Cloud stood with a hand on his hip and a cocky smile faint on his lips. The setting sun cast shadows in the room, but illuminated his face clearly in shades of gold and orange. Raye stood quickly, her legs shaking from the morning's exhaustion. Stepping out of her shoes, she took slow, deliberate steps toward him. His glowing eyes followed her approach with playful interest.

"You came," she choked, fighting back tears. "I-I thought-"

"It doesn't matter," he said gently as he placed his hands on her shoulders. His large hands were warm to the touch, heat radiating through her icy skin. Raye thought her insides would melt into a puddle of liquid, and relief felt so sweet. She looked up into his face through her own bloodshot eyes, filling with tears.

"You're smiling," she whispered, dropping her gaze. It had been so long since she had last looked into those mako eyes, it was hard not to stare.

"It's time to figure out your escape."

Cloud dropped his hands from her shoulders and turned toward the door, blue eyes determined. Raye followed his eyes to the darkened corner of the room. The heavy oak door stood solidly implanted in the wall, promising to keep her inside.

"You have to figure out how to get out of here," he said softly into Raye's ear.

Turning back in confusion, Raye flinched in surprise at the empty room. Dust particles were visible in the beam of the setting sun, where Cloud stood only moments ago. Panic rising in her throat, Raye cried out his name in search for some hope. Chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath, Raye's eyes spilled over into a stream of hot tears. She fell to her knees, clutching fistfuls of hair in her hands.

"What's happening to me?" she sobbed.

* * *

_Ghosts_, Raye thought. She was sure of it. Behind every corner she saw Cloud's glowing blue eyes, watching her every move. Unable to sleep, unable to eat, Raye wasted away to nothingness. Her life fell into an easy daily routine. Every morning, she was awakened and fussed over by nurses with furrowed brows and hushed whispers. A series of injections and multicolored pills later, Reno arrived at the same time every morning with a garment bag containing a new, flashy dress swung over his shoulder. Makeup to bring life to her sallow skin. Pinks and corals to brighten her smile. Mascara to open her dull, tired eyes. A press conference every morning on the President's grand balcony, answering asinine questions with a polite smile and flat affect. One would think it were torturous, but Raye admitted to herself that she felt nothing. She was becoming the President's doll, a pretty thing that smiled and spoke when you asked it to but could easily be put away into the closet when its purpose was served. Every morning, after answering the superficial questions posed by Sarah Collins, Raye went for a walk through Midgar accompanied by her ever-present bodyguard, Reno. At times, when Reno was out on assignment, she would take her daily stroll with another member of the Turks, Rude or even Elena. Rude brooded silently as he walked five feet behind her, making no effort to speak or make himself known. Elena only guarded Raye once, only because she spoke incessantly as though she had found herself a long-lost girlfriend to share her secrets and gossip with, although Raye remained silent as stone. It was the walks with Reno that she enjoyed the most, as political as her appearances may be. After the initial introduction, Raye was approached more frequently by strangers on the street. People she had never met smiled at the forlorn princess and welcomed her, even thanked her for her visit to Midgar. Always with a polite smile, Raye thanked them for their kind words and continued on her way. Hands always in his pockets, and an eye out for trouble, Raye held Reno's arm in a ladylike manner and visited predetermined destinations outlined by Rufus's PR team. With a mouth made for humor, Reno always found something funny to comment on, occasionally drawing a smile from Raye.

"So this is it, huh," Reno said with a whistle as they arrived at the glass entranceway to a swanky restaurant in the shadows of the Shinra Building. Raye lifted the train of her silk dress as Reno opened the door for her. The pair ascended the grand staircase, passing glass vases bursting with white lilies. The dress provided today was the faintest of pinks, with a delicately beaded corset merging into flowing chiffon of her train. Raye remained silent, blankly staring at the restaurant owner as he begged their pardon and led them away to their table. The two sat alone in the empty restaurant, an odd feeling in such a large, high-ceiling room. Reno leaned into his chair with a whistle, grinning from ear to ear at his companion.

"Swanky, huh?"

Raye blinked, staring down at her plate as a waiter hurriedly poured two glasses of white wine. Reno leaned forward with a frown, crossing his arms.

"Don't talk much, do you?"

"They're drugging me," she said suddenly, in a barely audible whisper. Reno showed no outward sign of surprise.

"Figured that out, did you?" he said with a sigh as he leaned back into his chair. He placed his hands behind his head and leaned back to look at the grand chandelier hanging delicately above them. "Nothing you or I can do about that. Once the boss has made up his mind, that's it. You better wise up and get with the program, babe."

Reno finished his meal in blissful enjoyment, making satisfied noises and urging his partner to eat, forgetting himself. Blankly staring at the plate in front of her, put together with the expertise of Shinra's world renowned chef, Raye felt no appetite, no hunger, no desire to eat. He groaned for the umpteenth time about how amazing his steak tasted before downing the remainder of his third class of wine. The redhead tilted his head back and lit a cigarette, exhaling the smoke with a satisfied sigh. The waiter returned to retrieve the plates, nervously removing Raye's untouched food. He remained silent about Reno's smoking and scurried away.

"C'mon," Reno urged as he patted Raye's hand, indicating it was time to go. He straightened his untucked and unbuttoned shirt needlessly, and walked behind Raye as they left the restaurant. The owner and waiters bowed repeatedly and exclaimed their thanks to their passing guests, who took no notice. They stood outside in silence, watching the smoke from Reno's cigarette drift up into the overcast sky.

"Are you ready?"

Reno gently placed a hand on Raye's back, urging her along. The street was bustling, with people running back into their homes and offices to find cover from the oncoming rain. The cigarette dangling from his lips carelessly.

Glass shattered with immense force near their feet, sending the cigarette flying from Reno's mouth and landing with a hiss into a puddle. Raye cried out as a shard of class cut her ankle above her heel. Reno reached into his inner jacket pocket and produced his EMR, which he smoothly extended with a flick of his arm. With his free arm, he tucked Raye behind his body, shielding her from any oncoming attacks.

"_Whore_!"

The bustling crowd had stopped in their tracks, dead silent. A flustered man in a business suit and black trench coat stood in the center of the square, panting. His hair was a sloppy mess, his striped tie loosened and askew. Face red with drink, he approached the Turk unsteadily.

"How can you protect that_ slut_? Her very _presence_ in this city is a _cancer._ What possible good can come from President Shinra bringing a so-called 'guest' into Midgar?"

There were hushed whispers from the crowd that formed, eyeing the tense scene. Raye looked over Reno's shoulder at the man who had thrown the bottle at them. Her hands on his shoulders, she could feel the tense muscles stiffen in preparation to strike. She gripped the smooth fabric of his blazer and rested her head on his back to block out the world. It only took one moment for Reno to leap forward with the reflexes of a cat, and strike the man down with one hit of his baton, not bothering to ignite the electric current. He stood over the man with a frown, blue eyes flashing. Raye stepped forward slowly, returning to her comfortable place behind her bodyguard. A glare from the Turk sent the watchful crowd scurrying away. With a thin hand, Raye reached up and wiped a thin streak of blood from the redhead's cheek, her expression unreadable. He blinked down at her in surprise, but was interrupted by the ring of his cell phone.

Reno answered the call with an agitated, "what?!"

Returning the black cell to his pants pocket, and folding up the EMR, he indicated to Raye that it was time to go. Arm around her protectively, the two started for the Shinra building as the first drops of the rainstorm fell. With a glance over her shoulder, Raye watched the lifeless form of the man get smaller and smaller as the streets welcomed the rain.

* * *

With one last squeeze to her shoulder, Reno released the princess to the President once they reached his office. The sky had darkened to a pitch black, and the rain pounded heavily on the windows, creating a waterfall-like downpour.

"Come," Rufus commanded with an arm stretched out. Only one reporter awaited in Rufus's office this late in the evening, Sarah Collins. Her standard mauve suit enclosed the frowning woman, brown eyes glaring beneath her glasses. Rufus straightened his coat, smoothing his hand over the lapels. His black turtleneck peeked out from underneath his suit, Raye noticed as she avoided his eye contact. Placed just above his pointed chin, a smile tugged at the corners of this mouth.

"We're ready when you are, Mr. President," Sarah stated after clearing her throat.

The camera lights flicked on, blinding Raye though Rufus seemed unfazed. Fear in her green eyes, Raye glanced at Reno who stood silently by the doors of the elevators. He made no response, but his brows furrowed above his blue eyes. The Turk shifted uncomfortably, dropping his gaze away from his charge's pleading eyes. Something bad was coming. They all knew it, except for Raye.

"Ladies and gentleman of Midgar," Sarah began, her tone serious and business-like and she stood in front of the President and his guest. The microphone she held in her hand connected down all the way to the setup that the cameraman struggled with, alone. "I'm with with breaking news from the office of the President of Shinra, Inc. Tell us, Mr. Shinra, what announcement do you have for us?"

Taking Raye's left hand in his, he raised her fingers towards the camera gently. Turning away from the camera, he slipped a sparkling diamond ring onto her ring finger, pausing to give the camera a good shot of the giant diamond. Raye's green eyes widened in surprise, and a light flush colored her cheeks. She looked up at Rufus in surprise, his eyes hidden in his smile. Looking back at Reno in panic, she saw the Turk's mouth hang open in surprise.

"Miss Raye has agreed to marry me."

"We congratulate you both," Sarah responded, insincere. Rufus ignored her comment, advancing on the princess.

With long, thin fingers the Rufus tilted Raye's chin up to meet his blue eyes once more. The open sky in his eyes shone clear as day, long lashes closing over as he leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her quivering lips.


	19. Nineteen

Hey! Sorry for the long hiatus! Life definitely got in the way, and I've been trying to figure out how to proceed in the story. I definitely want to continue cautiously, building the story slowly. Especially after taking a completely different direction since I last updated.

xSanurax- Thank for you your reviews, it really helps keep me going when I don't know what to write next. I hope I don't disappoint! :3

Please read & review! It helps keep me alive under my massive piles of college work, and keeps me updating...

* * *

Rufus's fingers snaked down Raye's arm and intertwined themselves with her fingers as she pulled away, wide eyed in her surprise. Rufus's smile possessed all the qualities of sincerity: dimples in his cheeks, a twinkle in his eye. But Raye knew the truth behind the face he was broadcasting. She was his prisoner and this sham would ensure she stayed that way. Rufus turned his attention to Ms. Collins, who continued her coverage with commentary about the breaking news. She finished her unenthusiastic report to "leave the lovebirds alone," promising to continue her interview after the two had some time to celebrate their engagement in private. The camera clicked off, and Rufus dropped Raye's hand as though he were holding a live snake. A nod to Sarah and her companion sent them on their way, freedom beyond the elevator doors.

"Reno, you are dismissed as well," said the President as he stepped behind his desk to rifle through some paperwork. The Turk opened his mouth to protest, but shut it immediately, sauntering off down the stairs with his hands thrust irritably in his pockets.

Raye felt invisible as she stood rooted to the spot where her engagement was broadcast on live television. She lifted her hand to examine the glittering rock decorating her bony hand. The platinum ring housed a marquise-cut diamond, guarded on either side by smaller, round stones. It felt heavy, weighing down like a prisoner's shackles. A ring this size could feed the entire city, she noted as it sparkled delicately on her ring finger, yet here it sat uselessly on her hand.

"Why are you doing this?" Raye demanded weakly, the marble beginning to shift beneath her heels.

The President took a moment to finish filing away the papers on his desk before returning his gaze to his trembling fiancé. A flick of his hand sent his obtrusive bangs back into place, the full force of his eyes clearly visible.

"Why?" he repeated. "Isn't it obvious?"

He did not wait for a response as he stepped out from behind his desk, one hand lazily unbuttoning his pristine white coat.

"You've ruined my plans for the last time," Rufus snarled as he strode toward her slowly. "I'll be keeping an eye on you myself to ensure everything goes my way from now on."

"Your wa-," Raye began in confusion before she was cut off.

"Yes, my way!" Rufus bellowed, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. "Or haven't you realized who's orchestrated this from the beginning?"

An empty silence.

"Don't you think it's strange that a member of your royal council would bring you all the way to _Midgar_ for safety? That the _terrorist_ group AVALANCHE would be the ones to house you?"

Raye bit her lip to keep silence. Yes, the whole thing was odd, but in her naïveté she had trusted in her council to ensure her safety.

Rufus noted her silence coldly before continuing, "An opportunity presented itself to rid myself of a nuisance, and gain a new city in the process. With you dead, Araniel would be without a leader, allowing my company to step in. A shame you were too obstinate to die at home. Bringing you here was my idea... Don't you get it, you stupid girl? The plate that fell was meant to kill you."

"An entire plate... to kill me...? All those people..." Raye blurted as she stood in dumbfounded surprise. "J-Joel..."

"Joel _sold_ you to me!" Rufus roared, the deepness in his voice shaking Raye to the core with the truth. He circled slowly around the thin girl, standing a full head shorter and quivering in her heels. "All you had to do was be a good girl and sit in those _fucking_ slums and wait to die. That plate would have fallen on your head, ridding me of both you and AVALANCHE forever. But you had to ruin my plans, and get tied up into a side project of mine in the process..."

He stopped behind Raye and leaned in, pressing his lips to her ear. She felt the vibrations of his voice reverberate through her body, raising goosebumps on her arms. His fingertips lightly grazed the insides of her arms as they trailed down to her wrists, causing shivers. Gently, he lifted her wrists, holding them out like a marionette.

"But now you're mine, and you're going to pose, smile, and behave yourself. You're my doll now, and you'll dance however I command," he whispered, his voice dangerously low in her ear. Dropping her hands, he continued, "One of the only places I had left in the world untouched by Shinra... My father spent ages of wasted time trying to gain control of your father's lands. A shrewd man, your father was. Producing his own energy to keep his kingdom from Shinra's influence..."

"My father," she gasped, fresh tears springing to her eyes. The thought of her parents hadn't entered her mind in months. Fighting to push them away, Raye shook her head. Rufus straightened and continued his slow circle around his prey.

"Yes, unfortunate the way he disappeared, isn't it? I heard father talking about one last loose end to tie up before we could begin construction of a mako reactor. Never would I have guessed that problem would be sitting in my office today."

A panicked lump raised itself into Raye's throat as she fought to keep steady. Her head spun at today's revelations. Shinra involved in her parents' disappearance? She was but a child of fifteen when they left four years ago. Rufus was nearly the same age, but he plotted takeover while Raye mourned her parent's loss and rose to her own responsibilities.

"You hate me," Rufus whispered with a hint of amusement. "I can see it in your eyes."

He was right. Raye's emerald eyes burned with a fire she had not felt since returning to Midgar. She clenched the delicate blue fabric of her dress in trembling fists. Rufus's hand shot out, gripping her face tightly, between his fingers. Bony knives pressed into her cheeks as she struggled to remain defiant.

"Who do you think send the monsters and mutations to Araniel? Who knew where to send you to your death? Did you think the falling of the plate was just an accident?" Rufus's anger echoed in the cavernous room, interrupted only by the tapping of the rain as it buffeted the glass. "Did you think that I didn't know about your little stunt in Junon? I know _everything_. And once you receive your coronation, the last piece of Shinra's power will be set into place."

He paused a moment, the whirlwind skies in his blue eyes battling against the fire burning in Raye's emeralds. Frowning, Rufus's arm shot forward, throwing Raye against the marble floor with a crash. He sneered as he stood over the whimpering princess.

"Many years ago, a man kept my father from achieving complete power on this planet. And in a few days, I'm going to marry his daughter."

* * *

Like clockwork, Raye was awakened the next morning by her routine team of nurses, armed with brightly colored pills and menacing syringes. A cold numbness settled over her brain as she slumped into her usual seat on the sofa. Foggy mind, hazy vision. The comfortable detachment had become as much a part of her routine as her silent attendants. Reno did not arrive with the usual garment bag slung over his shoulder. Instead, Rude stooped to enter the room, and stood obtrusively blocking the door. With a quick gesture, the silent Turk indicated it was time to go. Shaking the cobwebs from her brain, Raye stood uneasily and followed, lingering only a moment beside her bed.

Cloud had visited her again last night, after her engagement was announced to the world. Tseng had shoved her roughly inside, and retreated swiftly to lock the door between them. Raye collapsed into the fluffy comforter of her raised bed, body racked with sobs. The sheets were cold against her skin, raising goosebumps and sending Raye deeper into the bedspread.

"What are you still doing here?" came a soft voice, distressed. "This is serious, you need to get out."

Raye held her tears as she felt her stomach drop to the floor. A shaky hand had swept away the blanket obstructing her view. Blue eyes glowed back at her from the darkness, his face illuminated only momentarily as lighting flashed outside. Cloud's eyebrows furrowed with concern. His gloved hand slowly reached out, grazing her cheek with its roughspun fabric.

"You're not real!" she had shouted at the SOLDIER leaning over her bed. "_Stop haunting me_!"

Cloud flinched, injury apparent in his cool blue eyes. Raye had squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the pillow with clenched fists and willing the ghost to go away. She was left alone for the rest of the night, though she found no solace in the emptiness of the cavernous room. By morning, the pillow was sopping wet with tears, a testament to a night's sorrow.

This morning, and the mornings following all passed with new challenges. Reno never again delivered her dresses, nor was she permitted on escorted walks. She caught herself longing for the company of the redheaded Turk and his antics. Despite this, she was dressed every morning in flashy garments and bought out on public appearances with Rufus Shinra. Overnight, she had become a celebrity. From the moment she stepped out of the Shinra building, hand in hand with her fiance, she was blinded by an assault of camera flashes and shouted questions. Rufus always waved off the crowd good-naturedly, insisting on keeping time with his appointments. Their 'appointments' took them all over Midgar, from restaurants to business outings, and even to the theatre to see Loveless. Every outing was an opportunity. Every tabloid splashed photo after photo on the covers of their magazines. Holding hands at an intimate dinner. Rufus whispering sweetly into her ear from their box seats at the theatre. Kisses shared outside of the back entrance to the Shinra Building. Every moment was torture. Every touch, every gesture from Rufus made her skin crawl. Behind every facade of sweet nothings was a command and coaching on her lifeless performance for the cameras.

"President Shinra!" came the shouts from reporters who rushed to surround the couple standing beside a sleek black limousine. The driver had parked behind the restaurant to allow the couple to enter through the back entrance inconspicuously. Rufus had known just when to sneak off, leading his princess out of the back exit. With calculated expertise, he had held Raye's cheeks in his hands before leaning down to kiss her. His skin was soft and warm as it came into contact with the icy touch of her own skin. Cool air was sucked down into her lungs as the kiss was broken by the interruption. Her ugly, bruised cheek was now covered expertly in layers of makeup, sensitive under the hand of the man who inflicted the injury.

"Is it too much to ask for a little privacy?" Rufus asked with a humble embarrassment, which drew a good natured laugh from the crowd. He flicked his hair quickly and waved his driver over to open the door for the princess.

"Mr. Shinra!" shouted a thin young man as he thrust a microphone between them. "You've been very secretive about your relationship with your fiancé. Tell us, how long have you two been dating?"

"Oh, we've known each other for a long time," Rufus began as he curled his fingers around Raye's bringing her hand to his lips lovingly. A perfect shot of the engagement ring, worthy of the front page. "I value our privacy and have done my best over the years to keep Raye from the speculation of the papers."

"When will your wedding take place?" came the faint shout from the back of the mob.

Another sweet laugh from Rufus as his arm slithered down Raye's waist, drawing her close. "As you can imagine, we're eager to start our life together. I've already begun preparations."

Perfect answers, perfect timing, perfect smile. Every response had been rehearsed, every gesture a practiced statement. A frenzy of questions had begun, one question indistinguishable from another. Rufus held up his hands in response, shaking his head kindly and indicating an end to the interrogation. Nodding to the driver, Rufus helped Raye into the open door of the limousine despite the cries of protest from the hungry wolves behind him. Mechanically, Raye sat at the far edge of the interior, completely unfazed by the hoarde pressing their microphones to her window and shouting questions. Silent, Raye's tiny hands were folded in a ladylike manner on her lap, staring straight ahead through the commotion. Slamming the door behind himself, Rufus eased into his comfortable leather seat with a flick of his hair. Eyeing his fiancé for a moment, he grinned in satisfaction and urged the driver on.

* * *

Every morning the countdown greeted Raye as she saw her face plastered on billboards in the city, advertising the date of her wedding. Commercials promised to broadcast the event worldwide, for all to watch the ceremony and following parade. Seamstresses took her measurements as she stood on a smooth wooden stool, tsking at her bony frame. Nurses, however, feared the worst. She could tell through her ever-present haze that her team was terrified of the consequences of continued injections. Oddly enough, Raye was no longer afraid of the effects Hojo's multicolored concoctions would do to her. The truth, she realized as she stared out the window at the bustling city below, was that this marriage was a blessing in disguise. Thank Shiva, she had found the answer. To stay quiet, to marry the most powerful man in the world could mean the difference between life and death for the people she left behind in Araniel. Raye lifted her hand into view, admiring the precious stone on her finger. A ring in exchange for the safety of her people didn't seem like a bad deal. A hurried knocking on her door indicated it was time for her daily broadcast with Sarah Collins, and this time she was ready. In minutes, Rude had escorted the princess to the Shinra throne room. The usual suspects awaited: the President and his puppet reporter. Rufus wore his usual double breasted white suit, a scowl and blue eyes watchful beneath blonde hair. With a confidence she hadn't felt in weeks, Raye's long legs strode over to Rufus and clasped his hand tightly. Rufus was taken aback by the sudden change in attitude, but recovered quickly.

"S-so tell us, Mr. Shinra," stammered the surprised reporter, continuing the coverage she had already begun. "What do you have in store for the wedding? Rumor has it that this wedding has racked up a one million gil price tag so far."

"Something special, and unforgettable," he responded with a sly smile to his fiancé. "But I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

"Yes, the event is being televised for our viewers," Sarah reminded the audience from behind the screen. "And how about our bride-to-be? Are you getting cold feet?"

Raye perked up, drawing her heavy eyes from the floor. Adrenaline and bravery made her head spin as she sucked in a deep breath in preparation for her answer.

"Well, I must say that I am nervous. This is a big decision in my life, but I do feel that I am ready. Together with my husband, I know I'll be able to fulfill my duties as Queen and provide for my people. Words poured forth smoothly, pure liquid to the ears of the listeners. With big green eyes, Raye looked up at the king. "I know that this is the best decision I've made in my whole life."

A stunned silence followed, with Sarah Collins left momentarily speechless, but the triumph was apparent in Rufus's ice cold smirk.

"W-what a moving expression of love," stammered Sarah as she searched for a way to regain her senses. "I believe that this concludes our interview for today. We will return tomorrow with an exclusive sneak peek that the wedding dress fit for a princess."

Raye was returned to her luxurious room with a very curt nod from Rude. With a fit of sobs, she collapsed again into the soft down pillows of her borrowed bed. She found the strength to cry for hours, undisturbed by any visitors. She let out all her sorrow, and regret, letting go of any remaining emotion because when the new day dawned, she would have no more room left for childishness and immaturity. She felt her soul slowly escaping through the spaces between the sheets. This was it, she was reborn a new person. A queen: regal, stern, and cold as stone. _Say goodbye to nineteen. The rest of your life lies ahead of you. _The building was utterly silent, empathetic to the hopelessness of her decision. The sun began its downturn in one smooth motion, lazily dropping lower and lower into the sky. Raye lay motionless for hours, curled beneath the soft duvet, just watching the sun pass over the city. Alerted by hushed whispers outside her door, Raye sat up to listen intently. Her legs slipped smoothly from beneath the sheet, stepping quickly on the cool wooden floor to reach the door.

"Hello?" she called weakly as she approached the door slowly. The voices stopped, and clicks indicated the lock pins falling into place. Tseng strode through the door with Rude following close behind. Both men towered over the slight girl with business suits in pressed, pristine condition. The stark contrast to her previous companion was unsettling. Slamming the door behind them, they eyed the girl suspiciously and began to pace the room, overturning chairs and checking corners.

"Sit," commanded Tseng briskly as he indicated the sofa, untouched, beside the window. Raye did as she was commanded, watching as Rude tore books from their shelves and scoped the room aggressively. In quick, fluid motion a prick in her arm injected a syringe full of green liquid deep into the inside of her elbow. Tseng removed the needle mechanically, and pocketed the capped syringe inside his breast pocket. A faint crash from the floor above drew the attention of the three, distracting Raye momentarily from her shock.

"Stay in this room and do not speak to anyone," Tseng snarled coldly as he exchanged a look with his subordinate. The pair left Raye trembling on the couch, feeling the immediate effects of the drug. Her body shivered violently, arms hugging themselves to suppress the tremors. Breath caught in her throat, short and ragged, like a tightness around her neck that blocked her air. Raye gripped the soft leather of the cushions as she struggled to steady herself against the drug. Shouts were barely audible coming from the floors above. Gunshots punctuated the shouts violently, each bullet's echo heard loudly in every corner of her room. Weak kneed and quivering, Raye made her way to the window to place her burning forehead on the cooling glass. The setting sun glared into her room, casting long shadows of overturned furniture. The city swayed before her, dropping in and out of focus.

A pounding on her door resonated in the empty room. With a crash, the heavy oak door was thrown open, bouncing off the opposite wall. Raye turned slowly from the window, following the long shadows to the open door. Scuffed black boots, caked with mud, left footprints on her spotless wooden floor as they stepped forward into the darkened room. Florescent lighting from the hallway cast a long shadow into the room, meeting in the center with Raye's shadow. Bloodied, the man stood in her doorway, taking in the sight of her silhouette framed against the window. Wide-eyed and panting, he dropped his sword to the ground with a clatter as he rushed forward to embrace her small body tightly against his chest.

"Cloud," she whispered, almost dreamlike as she reached up to touch the blood trickling from his temple. Blue-green eyes glowed in the darkness, he scanned her blank face for signs of injury.

"Yeah," Cloud's gruff voice responded, squeezing tighter. Raye raised her hands slowly, her fingertips tracing the hard back muscles beneath Cloud's shirt.

Closing her eyes, Raye whispered into his ear, "You're not real."

Cloud released her from his embrace, stooping to look into her eyes. The light was gone, dull and lifeless orbs acting as poor replacements. His calloused fingers gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear tenderly before shaking his head to snap back into reality.

"We have no time! We've got to go!"

Raye dropped her hands from their embrace and retreated back toward the window. "Not real," she repeated dully. The pounding in her ears was growing louder, faster, and more dizzying than ever before.

Cloud growled a curse before taking off toward the door with Raye in tow, struggling weakly against his hand. Picking up his sword before stepping out, he looked both ways down the hall tensely as Raye shielded her eyes from the blinding light. She could feel his hand squeeze tight against hers, every muscle in his body tense and ready for action. Watching in fascination, she admired the sleek line of Cloud's jaw, a muscle clenching in terse preparation. Warmth radiated from his large hand, where he held firm to hers. Gently, she ran her fingertips over his bony knuckles, relishing the feel of his coarse gloves with airy lightheadedness. Before she could speak, a shout from down the hallway alerted the couple, snapping their heads toward the noise. A flash of red caught Raye's eye, sprinting down the corridor toward them. Cloud's hold was steadfast as he eyed the girl he had once promised to protect. Gunfire sounded, and a whirl of the room brought Cloud crashing down onto the floor to shield her from flying glass spreading in every direction. The end of the hallway now open to the sky, a chilling breeze swept through the corridor in gusts, sending glass flying. Strapping his sword to his back hurriedly, Cloud swept an arm beneath Raye's legs and lifted her up and away, taking off toward the open window. Feeling helpless, Raye hugged her arms around Cloud's neck tightly, squeezing her eyes shut as her protector leapt from the broken window. Peeking through the slits in her eyes, Raye watched the redhead shrink, streaming curses after them as they fell from the window. Raye pressed her cheek against his neck and let out a whimper as she felt her numb fingers slipping.

"Don't worry, Raye," Cloud whispered in her ear, loud above the roar of rushing wind and pounding skull. The soft voice echoed gently. "I've got you."

* * *

Do they fall to their deaths? Do giant chocobos save them? Tune in next time to find out! And review, if you know whats good for ya!


	20. Only Tonight

Hey, all! I hope I didn't scare you into thinking I was taking another hiatus, tee hee. I've been planning out the course of the story since I've written myself into a very delicate situation that I must find a way out of without making a mary-sue. Oh, dear.

Since my last post I've gotten a SLEW of new reviews and I cannot thank you new readers enough for your input.

AccessBlade- You can definitely take the concept and run with it. I'm excited to see what you do!

xSanurax- I only do cliffhangers out of love, hahahaha.

In the coming weeks, I plan on _completely re-writing the first 15 chapters or so. _Since I've gotten considerably older, wiser, and better at writing, I've decided to completely revamp them! I'll let you guys know when I get them up. xo

* * *

"No, no change," Cloud mumbled gruffly into the black phone as he walked out of the room. "She hasn't woken up yet."

"She'll be alright, Cloud," Tifa's voice responded from the other end of the line. "Are you sure it's-"

"Yes," Cloud snapped back, irritation rising. "Trust me, Tifa, I know what mako poisoning looks like."

Stopping to lean against the railing, Cloud let out a sigh of frustration and scratched the back of his head irritably.

"We're all worried," Tifa reminded him patiently. "You know that you've pulled out of it before, you can't give up hope yet."

But Cloud had seen it. The faint glow beneath the cold green eyes, unmistakable in the poorly lit cabin of the Highwind. Today was the sixth day on the run since the successful rescue of the princess, and Cloud had long since lost any semblance of hope. After the jump from the shattered window of the Shinra building, the pair had landed painfully on the lower deck of the Highwind, under the cover of Barrett's fire. With Cid piloting the massive airship, a quick maneuver around the city and they were on their way to the open sea. With panicked realization, Cloud and Barrett noticed the princess would not awaken from their harsh landing and has not opened her eyes since. Despite Tifa's steadfast insistence on hope, Cloud knew better. His own recovery from mako poisoning had been miraculous, to say the least. But he was stronger, more weather-worn than the sheltered princess. His glowing blue eyes announced to the world the mark that was left on him by the Shinra. This girl was different, untouched by mako and the Shinra world. Until now. Now her exposure to the darker side of mankind, to greed and malice, this was going to kill her and he was responsible.

Cloud studied the wooden floor panels carefully as Tifa spoke, following the cracks and splits in the old boards. With a sigh, he said his goodbyes to Tifa and promised to speak to her again soon. His knuckles ached painfully, scabs formed from the injury had caused when he left a dent in the metal wall of the airship's cabin. The force of the punch had split his knuckles, leaving his hand bleeding. Cloud closed his fingers into fists, turning to head down to the library. He had wasted so much time at the bedside of a dying girl, and could no longer bear to see the consequences of his actions laid out before him. The days and nights he spent watching for signs of life made him bitter, disgusted with himself until he could bear it no longer. Guilt mounted in heaps on his mind. When he had had enough of waiting for miracles, he retreated downstairs into the basement library for hours on end.

* * *

The room was strange and unfamiliar, musty and old fashioned. Tattered curtains gave the room a powder blue glow, eerie in the moonlight. The ceiling loomed far above her, paint cracked and chipped with age. The knit quilts adorning the two beds in the room were scratchy and full of holes, though the warmth provided was comforting. A solitary piano sat in the far corner of the room, opposite the door, covered in a layer of dust and begging for use. Raye sat up in bed, feeling strangely clearheaded after her time under the influence of Shinra drugs. Her feet sought her shoes, low pointed-toe heels in a clean white color, slipping past the royal blue of her dress. Particles of dust floated about the room, the only motion in the still and silent space. The clicks of her heels echoed loudly in the empty space as she walked slowly around the furniture of the bedroom. The bed opposite hers was messy and undone, signs of a visitor.

_Cloud?_

Raye stepped out into the hallway, dimly lit by the moonlight seeping through the windows that led to the other wing of the house. The door opposite hers was ajar, revealing dusty bookcases and an unopened safe. With slow, deliberate steps echoing throughout the house, Raye strode toward the illuminated windows. Relishing the crisp, cold air, and the feeling of newfound clarity, her emerald eyes took in every detail of the old house, from the tattered remnants of the rug on the grand staircase, to the large chandelier decorated with cobwebs. Stopping to look outside the large window to her left, a full moon shone brilliantly dissipating all fears of the night. Towering pine trees grew from grassy fields backed by rocky hills. Mountains that reminded her of home. The memory hit like a meteor. There was no home, Midgar was where she belonged now, with Rufus. The heavy ring quickly reminded her of her shackles.

A soft voice called her name, barely above a whisper. She turned away from the window, tearing her eyes from the scene. From the east wing door Cloud approached her, cautious and wide-eyed. He was just as she remembered him: SOLDIER uniform of rough navy fabric, gloves and leather boots, blonde spikes, and deep blue eyes. Raye nodded at his approach, taking in his features. Cloud's mouth hung open as he touched Raye's face, feeling her skin regaining its glow.

"Your hands are so warm," she mused with eyes closed. Cloud winced when she looked up at him with her green eyes, revealing the luminescence of her new mako eyes.

"You were in a coma," Cloud whispered, unable to suppress the incredulous edge to his voice. "A week... impossible."

"Cloud... thank you for coming for me."

He nodded, dropping his hands quickly. "I... I couldn't leave you in Midgar with them."

"It was only for a few weeks," she insisted in an attempt to ease his mind. Cloud looked at her strangely, brows knitting in disbelief.

"Weeks? Raye, you've been gone for _months._ We... we thought you were dead."

Raye's heart sunk at his words. Had her imprisonment in a drug-induced stupor really lasted for months? Had time slipped away from her so quickly? Unable to meet his eye, Raye carefully lifted her arm to look at the dozens of puncture marks that bruised the inside of her elbow.

"I know," he responded softly, covering the marks. "I know they were drugging you. They injected you with mako. You were poisoned."

Tseng's needle of green liquid, the strange way they tossed her room. They had known the rescue was underway.

"They tried to kill you."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Raye gulped down the information and tried to move past the attempt on her life. A fitting strategy for the head of Shinra to use murder as an insurance policy when his plans went astray.

"The others?" she asked hoarsely. "Barrett? Aeris-"

"Aeris is _dead, _Raye," Cloud cut in, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper. "Sephiroth."

Raye felt her blood turn to ice, traveling through her veins at an agonizingly slow pace. Her companion avoided her gaze, turning his face away and letting it fall to the shadows.

Aeris? Sweet, brave Aeris? The image in her mind was heartbreaking. The last of her kind, the last Ancient was dead. But more than that, the girl Raye had called friend, travelled with, fought beside, no longer existed in this world.

_Oh, Shiva..._

Softly, she placed her hand against Cloud's chest, smoothing the rough military fabric before looking up at him again. His eyes were tired, dark from exhaustion.

Biting her lip, Raye whispered, "You have to take me back."

Cloud's body stiffened beneath her touch, pushing away her hand. The concern in his eyes was quickly replaced with anger like she'd never seen before.

"What?" he shouted, stepping away in disgust. "You want to back to the man who did _this _to you? After the risks we _all_ took to save you from them?"

"You don't understand," Raye insisted, doing the best to hold her ground. "I'm going... to marry Rufus Shinra."

The words dripped from her tongue like poison, hissing at its release.

Cloud swiped his arm angrily to the side. "Are you crazy? We went out of our minds looking for you after your disappearance from Gongaga. We thought you were _dead_! The moment Yuffie saw you alive on ShinraTV, we planned your rescue. For what? For you to announce to the world your desire to marry that scum? I told everyone it couldn't be true, but clearly I was wrong."

Raye bit her lip to keep her heart from breaking. Despite Cloud's tough demeanor, she could almost feel the hurt in his voice.

"I-"

"I'm not interested. Go back to your precious Shinra, then!"

The sound of Cloud's voice shook dust from the grand chandelier, echoing silently the pain in his voice. Raye spun on her heel and strode back to the bedroom she had come out of, blue train fluttering behind her. As the slam of the ancient wooden door sounded throughout the house, a second slam responded from the opposite wing. Stifling her emotions, Raye paced the once-cozy bedroom.

_This is it. This is what I've prepared for. No more childish fights. I'm going to be queen now, and I've got to take action._

She sat at the edge of the bed for an eternity, considering her options. Should she leave? Would Cloud try to stop her? The idea of fighting against Cloud made her heart ache. This wasn't what she imagined their reunion to be like. But she couldn't help but feel that Cloud was different, somehow. No cocky grin, no arrogant bad attitude. He was the same person that protected her so many times before, but there was a deep sadness pooled in his blue eyes.

Lost in thought, Raye was brought back to attention by the appearance of a brooding figure appearing at her doorway, leaning against the frame. She raised her gaze to meet Cloud's blue eyes, clearly visible in the darkness. The space between them was enormous, and Raye could almost feel the rift grow.

"Tell me," Cloud began hoarsely from his position across the room. "Tell me that somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew I'd come for you."

Raye gaped openly at the question. Unable to read his expression and without the heart to lie, Raye responded, "Cloud, I... I lost faith..."

Cloud scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest irritably, no longer looking at Raye.

"What happened that day?" Raye whispered, almost afraid of the response. A pained expression crossed his face briefly before he turned back into the moonlight.

"We were staying in Gongaga for the night. The Turks showed up with Scarlett and attacked." A pause. "It was dark and raining. And by the time the Turks retreated, we couldn't find you anywhere. It was a tough fight... most of us assumed you were dead."

Raye shivered as she as reminded of her death for the second time that night. Cloud crossed the room quickly and sat beside her, blue eyes boring intensely into hers. The distance between them remained, a cold depth that seemed impassable. The ache in Raye's chest returned in a flutter, furious wings beating hard inside her ribcage.

"I won't let you go back to Midgar. There's nothing in left in Midgar for you, everything you need is right here."

Raye bit her lip to keep the tears from spilling over.

"Cloud," she began softly. "When I'm with you, all my fears disappear. I know from the moment you're by my side that I'll be safe. When you asked me earlier if I knew you were coming for me... I lost faith, Cloud. I had no one to rely on but myself, and I was terrified. It's about time that I was the one to be brave. I don't want to marry Rufus, but I have to."

Raye released her words carefully, fighting to keep her emotion in check. Cloud's hand found its way to her cheek, holding her face gently in his palm. Raye flinched noticeably as he caressed her injured cheek. The ice in his eyes melted to a watery blue, his expression softening as he leaned in to place his chapped lips upon hers, gently and without urgency. The dilapidated room around them faded into nothingness, and the silence of the mountain town was drowned out by the pound of her heartbeat loud in her ears. Their lips moved slowly, tenderly, enjoying the sensations of a first kiss. Cloud was the first to break the kiss, stopping to lean his forehead against Raye's.

"We can't do this."

Meeting his eyes once more, she could see a storm brewing behind the mako. This sudden retreat from their kiss left her breathless, a tight hand squeezing around her throat. Cloud regained his stoic composure, dropping his hands back to the bed.

"Cloud," she breathed.

"I'm going to protect you, no matter what it takes," the blonde interrupted. "There's so much happening with the planet right now, and you don't need to have a part in it. You've been through enough."

Cloud broke his gaze to shift his focus elsewhere, away from the clear green eyes, judging his every move and reminding him of he price paid for his negligence.

"I won't lose another... I won't lose you over this. We have a job to do... to save the planet and stop Sephiroth. No matter what happens, I'm going to find a safe place for you."

Raye shook her head to protest, but Cloud's calm hand on her forearm stopped her. The determination in his face was apparent and she could almost see the old Cloud peeking through. The tough, ex-SOLDIER who had taken the leadership role. The same Cloud who wouldn't take no for an answer, and would do anything to protect his friends.

_Aeris._

The thought stuck in her mind uncomfortably as she settled on the bed beside Cloud. Insisting that they leave the large mansion in the morning, Cloud grumbled as he stretched out on the messy bed. Counting the cracks in the ceiling, she could almost settle back into the familiar feeling of sleeping beside Cloud. The countless times sharing beds at inns, or even the times they camped outside, the memories rushed back as her skin brushed against his on the scratchy bedspread. Had Aeris lain beside Cloud while she was gone, just as she lay right now? Did she brush her fingers against Cloud's in the middle of the night? The emotions bubbling to the surface had Raye's stomach in knots. Where did this relationship go astray? Before she had even realized it, she'd grown attached to the cocky SOLDIER, and it took a kidnapping to realize it. But why now, when Cloud so obviously loved Aeris? Raye had been nothing more than an annoyance, an extra person on an already delicate mission. Her head swam with questions and the tightness in her chest only grew worse.

She turned her head to look at Cloud, resting peacefully on the pillow beside her. His lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, Raye noticed. Here she was, beside the man whose heart already belonged to another. His guilt over Aeris' death was the real reason for the rescue, not any unresolved feelings of love or duty.

"Can't sleep?" Cloud asked in a whisper, turning his face to meet hers, mere inches apart. Raye nodded numbly, unable to shake the thoughts of doubt from her mind. Propping herself up on an elbow to speak, Raye was quickly guided to his chest with a large hand on her back. Cloud closed his eyes once more and heaved a sigh.

"Just try to sleep. We'll take care of everything in the morning."

Raye couldn't read his expression, but remained silent. The warmth of his body and his arm around her shoulder was comforting, lulling her to sleep. But Raye knew this is was temporary. Only tonight would she be able to lay against him like this, shielded from the chaos of the outside world. In the morning, they would be strangers again, an ex-SOLDIER guarding a foreign princess. And nothing more.

* * *

Carefully pulling out from Cloud's embrace, Raye slipped off the bed and out of the bedroom door with her shoes in hand. Guilt had made her heart ache as she paused to watch Cloud's body rise with even breaths, months of stress and anguish erased from his face as he slept.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear before she left him forever.

Travelling to the other wing of the grand mansion, she looked for supplies to take with her on the road back. She hurriedly looked about the bedroom, pressed for time and fearing that Cloud would awaken at any moment to find her during this escape. Her breath caught in her chest briefly when she spied a group of items arranged together on the dresser beneath a mirror. A sleek black PHS sat on the ancient dresser beside a familiar embroidered black wallet Raye immediately recognized as her own. As she touched the delicate beading, she could feel her resolution waver. Beside her wallet, a delicate silver chain wrapped around a winged heart, a symbol she had carried from the beginning. This was an old gift from her mother, and a charm she thought she would never see again. To keep these items for all this time...

_No._

Raye wouldn't allow herself to be swayed from her decision. In a swift movement, she attached the chain to her woven leather belt, the charm falling delicately against the royal blue fabric. PHS and gil in hand, Raye continued down the creaking old stairs, away from the comforting moonlight of the bedroom. The stairs spiraled down the large stone tower, to a deeper and danker basement level. Again, her courage faltered, but Raye continued down the cavernous stone corridor, eyeing the bats that took up residence in the nooks among the stalagmites. The cave opened to a laboratory, a library with books strewn across the floor, on tables, and hanging haphazardly from shelves. Disturbed layers of dust indicated signs of life, and the heat of the solitary light bulbs gave testament to their long service. Nervous, Raye quickly backed out of the room and through another door, a splintered wooden door that creaked with age as she fell through. The candles of the small room burned low, casting eerie shadows upon the stone walls.

"Who wakes me from my nightmare?" hissed a deep voice, echoing in the cramped room.

From the floor, Raye glanced upward to see a cloaked figure emerge from the coffin in the center of the room, slowly bringing itself up to full height. Standing tall over her, the man's red eyes shone with a sinister glint beneath a mop of long, black hair.

"Who are you?" Raye asked in a hushed whisper, filled with dread. Her knees were weak and she sat rooted to the floor.

"I have nothing to say to strangers. Get out," the tall, lanky figure growled as he turned away from the girl in the bright blue dress. His tattered cloak spun around him as he turned, frayed edges grazing the sides of the coffin upon which he stood.

"W-wait!" Raye called out, reaching out from her place on the stone floor. She searched for the words, thoughts jumbled with desperation. "I am a princess from a foreign land. I seek to bring down Shinra. Will you help me?"

Raye stood slowly, setting her chin and speaking formally. The man eyed the young girl with curiosity, eyes glinting from beneath the blood red band around his head.

"Tell me your name."

"Raye Bailey, crown princess of Araniel in the Eastern Continent," she replied with a steady voice, the voice of a queen. She recited a parsimonious retelling of her story, the one she shared with AVALANCHE, Sephiroth, the planet, and Shinra.

"Bailey..." the man whispered. "I am Vincent Valentine, formerly of the Turks. Your proposition is of no interest to me."

A silence passed for a moment as they stood at lengths from one another, each regarding the other cautiously. With fluid movement, Vincent returned to his place in the black coffin, his voice echoing, "I will hear no more. Leave this place."

The lid of the coffin settled back into place and Raye spun to leave the disquiet of the room. Even without a companion, she knew she must leave the mansion. The soft padding of her footsteps echoed in her ears as Raye held her few possessions close.

"Wait," called a voice as she reached the foot of the decrepit, spiraling staircase.

Cloak trailing behind him, Vincent approached with an unnerving speed. He stooped to bore into her eyes, his face a pale ghastly shade of white.

"Bailey," his gravely voice repeated, voice reverberating in the small space. "I am coming with you."

A curt nod to put her feelings at ease, Raye continued up the stairs to return to the main floor of the manion. With a new companion beside her, she stole away into the rising sun, leaving her heart tucked in beneath the arm of an ex-SOLDIER bodyguard, sleeping peacefully for the first time in months.

* * *

Hey, all! I hope I didn't disappoint with that chapter. A little fluff for you loyal readers, but I have way more torture to put these kids through before I'm done with 'em. As always, please read and review!


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